Girl's Got Game
by Paper.Bullets
Summary: Alternative Universe: Konoha's All Boys School has a new student: Me. This would all be fine & dandy... if I had a 'plug' instead of an 'outlet'. But pretending to be a boy can't be all that hard! I can burp, be disgusting, & sit with my legs open! It can't be that hard, right? Except it is: especially when you're rooming with 5 'Plugs! - OC x Gaara Shikamaru Kiba Neji Sasuke
1. Encounter : Nara Shikamaru ::01::

THE KONOHA NINJAS ARE IN MODERN AGE, BABEH.

OK. OK, this fanfiction is pretty cliche in terms of the 'girl sneaking into an All Boys' School', but it's not like I wanted a great, almighty fanfiction that will make everyone clap at it's originality and genius. I think this is more like a light-hearted, humorous ficlet than a dramatic, mind-blowing, astoundingly written piece of literature. Please take it as so, because this is more of a guilty-pleasure kind of story, except without that much guilt, really, kekeke...

The idea and general outline of this fanfiction is credited to the almighty Rakishia. I could have not written this story without her, with her amazing authoress skills, and after resolving and receiving permit to adopt this story, I'll have it re-vamped, edited and changed in a jiffy. I hope it lives up to her expectations. Awesometastic Juice. It's time to get rollin'.

**-X-**

_NARUTO (-ナルト-) © Masashi Kishimoto & Shueisha._  
_Original Characters & Girls Got Game Fan Fiction Plot Belong to Me._

******. Girl's . Got . Game . **  
_. . . A Naruto Alternate Universe Fan Fiction . . ._

By PaperBullets

**-x- Chapter One: Encounter - Nara Shikamaru -x-**

Soo...

I'm in what's-her-face's class writing a stupid letter. It's not my fault that I have the attention span of a fish, seriously, and the education system of private schools is crap anyway. But let's not get into the fact that getting good grades nowadays relies on your ability of memorization. Well, I'm Akira Hayashi, and I'm a teenager. 16, if you want the specifics. KYAHAHAHAHAHAHA-FRIKIN-HOHOHO.

... Craziness Aside, I go to an all girls' school and I live like a LONEWOLF in a room on the same floor as my best friends Tenten, Temari, and Hinata. If you feel the need to have a good laugh now, Pinkie and Blondie are also in my school, and on the same floor as me. _DUDE, IT'S LIKE THEY'RE MENTALLY SLOW._

Nevermind. They _ARE_ mentally slow. I mean, competing over a guy who doesn't even give a damn? That's just so... sad: you've just got to learn to let go at _some_ point, y'know? But then again, if that fellow _did_like to those two, that'd just be equally sad, so...

PSH. WHATEVER. I'm going to go ditch now. I hope you have a great day, what's-your-face sensei. [crossout]By no means do I hope you get gang raped in an alley.[/crossout]

I've been talking to my grade's counsellor about this since the beginning of the school year: I'll finally be transferring out of your [crossout]freaking boring as HELL)[/crossout] class by the end of the week. After I leave, let's start off with a clean slate and not give each other death glares in the hallway, right, Sensei? I don't know about you, but I'm not one to harbor bad feelings about the past! Huzzah!

Oh right. I forgot to write what you told me to. "I, Hayashi Akira, promise to never bring a soccer ball into Shinagawa-Sensei's classroom." I _am _really sorry for breaking your window. Truly. Well, maybe not as much as you'd like me to be, but hey: nobody's perfect. (:

[crossout]And I can still shoot them in from outside, right?[/crossout]

-  
Hayashi

**-X-**

_BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-_

I snarled, folding the pillow to cover my poor, exposed ears from my alarm's PMS. Keeping my ears muffled from the sound, I reached a weak hand out towards my alarm clock. _The heck? I didn't even set it last night! It's a freakin' weekend! _My hands aimlessly slapped the nightstand to find the raging clockwork.

_Button, button, button... GEEZ! _I held the clock in front of my face and rotated the item, and randomly pressing the side buttons to see which one was the one labelled 'Sleep'. It continued ringing, as if mocking my blurred morning blindness. I growled, ready to pull out the batteries-

_"AKIRA!"_

"EFF MY LIFE!" I hollered, chucking the alarm clock at the floor, where the batteries promptly bounced out, and the mechanism finally stopped sounding. "I'm trying to _sleep_! This is too much freakin' noise for seven o'clock in the morning _on a Saturday!_"

"Whoa. Sorry, but blame yourself for setting the alarm on the wrong day," she taunted, earning a careless grunt from me as I snuggled back into my blissfully warm covers.

"What do you want?" I rasped, trying to rub the gunk out the corners of my eyes. Akira was never going to be defined as 'morning person' - or atleast not until Pinkie and Blondie were defined 'tolerable'.

Tenten smirked. "THE WATER PIPES FOR OUR SHOWERS EXPLODED!"

The shrieking voices made my eyes snap open. That wasn't Tenten's voice. Those were the voices of Sakura and Ino. They burst into my room, eyes wide with irritation and that spoiled look that little, girly 'princesses' have when they don't get something the way they want. I narrowed my eyes and I propped myself up in bed. It took a moment for the thought to register, but by the time I was shocked into alertness, my tongue failed me.

"Bligghbrry- glroo..._WHAT?"_

My eyes were wide, and my gaze had snapped over to Tenten. She sighed and rubbed her temples as if all the noise was giving her a migraine. Well, she wasn't the one who was having her room being rudely invaded by people who thought it was a designated meeting place for early hours of a weekend. Grawr... 'Fraid so. Probably not getting them back for the next month. Maybe even longer."

"Wh-what? You're kidding, right?" I wailed, imaginary tears streaming down my face. It wasn't like me to be so immature and loud, but... "...Wait. D-Does this mean..."

She frowned. "Yes it does."

"...No."

_"Yes."_

_"But I didn't even freakin' say _**_what_**_ it-"_

"Akira, put a sock in it!" Temari barged in angrily, still wearing her awesome Bugs Bunny pajamas (that I bought for her last christmas). In fact, three of us looked like we had just gotten up from bed except for Pinkie and Blondie. They were already in tops that exposed their cleavage (or lack thereof) and short shorts. Tenten was in a Loose T-shirt and Pajamas pants. I was in a plain Maroon Tank-top and Light Grey Sweats and my hair in a mess. "I could hear you from down the hall..."

"This is not a matter that I can simply shrug off and sing a song about," I plopped myself back my bed as if getting ready to make a snow angel. "I'll just have to live with stinking like a pig after sports~"

"They're cutting off P.E, too," Sakura remarked.

**_...saywhut?_**

"Sports equal sweat, and sweat leads to showering," Temari laid it out for me, and all I could do was stare horrifically up at her from my wooden tiled floor. _This IS NOT happening._

"So...No Sports?"

"No sports." _Insert my look-of-horror._

"So... No Soccer?"

"No Soccer." _Insert my gasp-then-swoon._

"This. Is. F*cking. Unfair." It wasn't like me to swear, but the circumstances called for it to display my disapproval. _No more soccer? What about my FUTURE?_

Just as my outburst ended, Hinata arrived in her adorable striped blue and white Pajamas, rubbing her eyes. "G-good morning, e-everyone... Is there s-something t-the matter?"

"Kinda. You missed the explanation." Tenten groaned, plopping her butt firmly onto my bouncy bed. "But simply put, one of the main water pipes burst. We don't have any water in the fountains or showers. I think we've been put on 'Sink Water Conservation' too or something lame like that."

"Th-that's terrible!" Hinata exclaimed. I, on the other hand, was deviously plotting something.

"What about the guys' school?" I asked curiously. This was Konoha's all Girls' school. Ironically, just a few streets away was Konoha's all Boys' school. Being both of Konoha's elite schools, they had everything the girls had, and in this case, what the girls didn't have.

"They obviously have their water pipes in tact. They fixed it last year during summer break when they all went home." Temari informed offhandedly, suddenly distracted with Tenten's buns, and asking her if she kept them like that before going to bed, or if she actually put the time to tie her hair into buns seven a.m on a Saturday.

I smirked. "I see..."

Hinata immediately recognized the malicious snarl I did every time I was thinking of causing some sort of mayhem. "A-Akira-chan, y-you wouldn't be th-thinking about-"

I played innocent and feigned a confused look, quietly shushing her because luckily Pinkie, Blondie, Tenten and Temari hadn't caught the spark of insanity that had crossed my mind.

I _was _always known for being a dare-devil. There wasn't a very big list of what I would never dare to do.

I licked my lips and mused over the idea again, the concept spreading and slowly blueprinting itself in my mind. It wouldn't be that hard to pull off, really, and there really was so much a Soccer team in an All Girls' School could offer...

It was basically like 'Broadening my Horizons'. The experience would surely be worth it.

A knock came on my door and we all looked over respectively. Temari strolled over and opened it, revealing an exasperated Shizune.

"_There _you all are!" she sighed heavily. I guessed that she had been searching everywhere for us and if she had known we were all in one single room, she wouldn't have went through all six rooms. "You girls remember the dance tonight, right?"

Sakura and Ino looked at eachother and grinned widely. But me? Not I: I gave the biggest groan of the century.

"Tsunade-sama is going to give you guys permission to leave school grounds today incase you guys still haven't found a dress, but you guys are always let off grounds outside of school hours, anyway. Curfew has been pushed back to midnight, but really, she'd like to provide some... help." She reached into the bag over her shoulder to reveal six small wallet-sized cards. "You guys also get _this_. Everyone gets one, and it's the Student Price Card - and it gives you guys discounts on the stores listed on the back. It's a little late, but if you haven't already bought a dress, or want a few more, it'll come in handy. See you girls!" With a grin and a wave, she turned around and headed for the floor upstairs.

There was a chorus of 'YAY's, but all for different reasons.

**YAY **for buying a bunch of dresses.

**YAY **for curfew being pushed back until midnight.

**YAY **for remembering how they were going to force me into a dress.

**Eff My Life indeed.**

**-X-**

I dodged a pair of jeans flying in my direction. Tenten and Temari had proven to bet against me that I had absolutely no dresses in my closet. For the past five minutes, their hands worked to throw the articles of clothing out of their way as they dug through the closet. I didn't have a lot of clothes, _or _a small closet, but I wasn't really all that neat, either. My clothes were basically scattered all over the floor, making their search even more difficult.

"What did I tell you?" I put my hands on my hips and sighed. "No one likes friends who _don't listen_, girls."

"Akira!" Tenten slumped on her knees, a pair of shorts in her lap. "I can't believe you've never bought a dress before! What did you wear for dances in previous years?"

"I didn't go."

"YOU DIDN'T GO!" she repeated, tone over-exaggerated and mocking.

I fumbled with my sweats that I slept in habitually; I still hadn't changed yet. "Oh come on, don't say that like it's my fault. I warned you."

"It's not like you lack style or anything, hun." Temari threw another horde of clothes on my bed. Don't get me wrong, it's not like I don't care about what I wear, but pleasing myself comes before caring what other people think. I'll buy those pants, and I'll buy that T-shirt that I like. Just not dresses. Akira Hayashi doesn't do dresses. Or anything frilly and girly, whatnot. They just weren't... _me._

"We still have a bit of time left. We can buy you one," Temari offered. I gave her the best glare I could muster, saying 'Let's see you force me out of this door.' She groaned out loud and glanced over at Tenten.

"Or you can borrow one of Tenten's...?" she suggested. Tenten shot her a 'Don't go there' expression. Tenten only had a collection of Chinese dresses that she values very much since they were bought and handed down to her by her family, plus they're made of some expensive quality. Temari only possessed one dress since she wasn't much of a 'dress-y' girl either; the one she was going to wear that night. She sighed. "What _now?_"

"Guys, _relax_," I tried to reassure, standing up. "This isn't Cinderella's ball, so it's not like I'm anticipating a dance with a Prince. I never wanted to go. You two are making the big fuss out of nothing."

Three knocks came on my door and Hinata peeked in. "H-Hayashi-chan. Would you l-like one of my dresses?" Hinata kindly offered. I shook my head humbly and thanked her anyway before shooting a glare at all of them.

"Put it to a rest! I'm appreciating the effort here, but I'm not going, even if you do find me a dress."

Tenten looked skeptical. "You sure?"

"I'm sure," I answered confidently, smirking. "I was sure 7 years ago during that first gaudy primary school dance.."

"Oh, I _give _already!" Temari stood back up and threw her arms up. "Well, I need to go out again because my flats are totally not dance material anymore. I need new shoes. Anyone coming with?"

Tenten put up her hand, and Hinata mustered up an 'I'll go', too. Temari only laughed at my look of revolt.

"Go get prettied up, ladies," I jested, pushing them out of my room. I turned back and marveled at the masterpiece they left for me to clean up. I rolled my eyes and turned away from the mess: I could fix it up later.

Putting a pen to my mouth, I bit off the lid and sat on my desk with pen and paper, ready to plot out the necessary precautions for my plan to work.

**-X-**

"Soo..." came Kiba, breaking the silence. "Are you gonna go to the dance?"

"Hell no," said Sasuke, one of the five occupants of the room. "Those girls will pounce on me if I go."

"No," was Neji's flat reply.

"Hnn. Too troublesome," Shikamaru muttered, rolling onto his side on the bed. "And besides, no girls would want to ask me."

"What's the point of a dance?" Gaara asked, smirking slightly as the rest of them agreed with either a grunt or nod. Kiba snorted, looking up at the ceiling with his arms folded behind his head. His eyebrows went up as an idea sparked.

"Hey." Kiba rolled onto his stomach from the top bunk and had a good view of each 16 year old in the room. "The girls' wouldn't miss a dance for the world... so the girls' buildings will be empty... And since we've got nothing _better _to do..."

"Why not go on a raid?" he finished, as the other boys in the room began to smirk. At least it would provide them _some _sort of entertainment.

**-X-**

Hours later, Tenten, Temari, and Hinata were all putting on finishing touches of mascara, eyeliner, blush and all that crazy makeup. Sakura and Ino were in their own rooms getting ready, which I thanked the heavens for because I didn't want them in mine, anyways. I watched silently from my bed, watching in amazement as they stepped out of my washroom in their respective dresses.

Tenten was in the traditional sleeveless Chinese Dress with a slit down the side, and her hair in the usual two buns with pearl hair decorations hanging from each. The dress itself had intricate designs of white floral on it on a red fabric, making the patterns stand out generously. I jokingly hooted and hollared when she came out and she laughed, shooting me a thumbs up.

Hinata stepped out in a modest strapless purple floral dress with a wide black sash tied around her waist. She wore a white, long sleeved cardigan to cover her arms. I would have liked it anyways without the cover up, but I loved it all the more because it screamed Hinata. I whistled and 'woot'ed. She blushed and smiled sheepishly.

Then came Temari, and she was in a chiffon, V-neck black dress that looked absolutely sexy on her. The bottom of the dress was in a slant, revealing her legs and her new black heels. It showed off her amazing curves and contrasting greatly with her hair, which was let down and wavy. I clapped and shouted, "Giiirl, you so sexy, Justin Timberlake brought you back five times!" She laughed out loud, hands on hips.

"We'll be going now, Aki-chan!" Tenten called from the front door once they had made their way down. I looked down from my floor and waved, winking.

"Have fun!" I called out. Hinata was the last to leave and snuck another glance at me.

"A-are you sure you d-don't want to go, Akira-chan?" she asked softly. I smiled gratefully at her thoughtfullness.

"I'm sure, Hinata, and you look _stunning_. Go and get that clueless Naruto!" She blushed, just like usual whenever his name came up.

"M-Mm... Bye, Akira-chan!" I waved once more as she shut the door. I rushed up to my cleaned room that I had took the time to sort out while they got ready (it took 3 hours! Can you believe the time they take? However, I will admit, my friends looked pretty dayum dazzling).

Ultimately, I turned off the lights and scurried onto my bed. I wiggled deep into my blankets and cuddled with one of my pillows, slowly starting to drift. I hadn't gotten much sleep this morning, anyhow, thanks to some people.

I started meditating... Going off into my own little world...

-x-

_CRASH!_

"Kiba! You dumbass!" My eyes snapped open after what seemed like an hour. I stayed perfectly still against my bed, trying to blend with the darkness. _A Break in?_

_CRASH!_

"KIBA! STOP MESSING AROUND!" The tone was urgent, hushed, I noticed. But... young.

The window rolled up and it was then that I knew who it was. A bunch of teenage boys crashing onto the floor. My fear evaporated as I rolled my eyes.

"WAIT! GET OFF ME!"

"Whose leg is this?"

"AH! SOMEONE TURN ON THE LIGHTS — IT'S TOO DARK!"

Complying with their request, I got up and sauntered over to my light switch to flick it on.

"Thank go- Wait." All of them stopped their struggling, staring up at me. I raised an eyebrow in amusement.

"A little advise when sneaking into someone's room: Check if anyone's _there _first, okay?" I couldn't help but laugh out loud. Finally, they untangled themselves and stood in front of me, careful to not position themselves too close. Adorably and even more hilariously, their cheeks were stained pink.

"You guys are dumbasses. Is it possibly to be any worse at sneaking in?" I stifled the chuckle this time, and I wasn't trying to rub it in, but I knew it came out that way. "What are you doing here?"

"Who are you?" One of them asked. He was cute, with raven hair and onyx eyes. I smirked as he matched the description of the Sasuke that Sakura and Ino talked about 24/7. If this was really the kid, I was impressed. Very 'pretty-boy' material.

"I should be asking all of _you _that question," I countered smoothly, thoroughly enjoying their embarrassment. "Care for some intros?"

"Uchiha Sasuke," the cute one muttered. This confirmed my suspicions.

A lavender-eyed boy glanced at me. He was just as good-looking as the last one. "Hyuuga Neji..."

"Nara Shikamaru..."

"Gaara."

"Inuzuka Kiba!"

"Nice." I leered approvingly at their obedience, trying to ignore the fact that were all blessed with a face that was extremely easy on the eyes. "I'm not going to tell you my name, but I will let you go on one condition..." They all froze and I grinned wickedly.

"Go raid some other dorm, but this floor has my some of my good friends, so leave it alone, got it?" I barked as they all flinched and nodded. I broke out into a silly grin as they ran out my door like dogs and started laughing loudly in the halls, going down a flight of stairs to another floor like I had told them to. I tilted my head, letting my bangs fall in front of my face as I rubbed my chin thoughtfully.

_"Hmmm..."_

**-X-**

"Nara Shikamaru, please report to the office," the Office Lady announced in her nasal voice. "Nara Shikamaru."

Shikamaru stood up from his seat in class as the school speakers repeated his name on the speakers to his dismay.

"Troublesome..." he muttered under his breath.

As he entered the office, he froze. Standing in front of him was a ...'boy'... with black hair and reddish-brown eyes that leaned towards a vibrant mahogany color. The... supposed 'boy' had black hair that was tied in a low ponytail like those rat-tail mullets that he found disgusting...

However, Shikamaru's eye twitched ever so slightly.

**-X-**

Shikamaru stood infront of me, eye twitching, hands clenching into fists, eyebrows angling in a look of frustration... even his jaw was tight and his lips were pursed. I hadn't expected him to recognize me so quickly. Maybe he would've gotten a hint through my voice, but it had been at least a week or so for me to get the whole applying and whatever process done. I was hoping that I'd fog his memory a bit. I could totally see him ratting me out, and I earnestly hoped that he wouldn't. Not so soon!

"Right. Shikamaru, show Akira to your room. He'll be staying with you," Sarutobi murmered as I bowed to him and followed Shikamaru out. The instant we were out of sight and earshot, he whirled around to face me.

"Are you _mad?_" he whispered angrily. I frowned as an act, though I was glad he hadn't said something right then and there in front of the Principal when I knew he could have.

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm not dumb, okay?" he sighed heavily. "You're that troublesome girl that caught us sneaking into her dorm!"

I groaned and shushed him, immediately calling for my defenses."Okay, listen.. I'm just here because our school cut off our sports program and one of our pipes are broken or some crap like that. It's.. it's a really long and er... complicated story, but I promise I'll leave in a month! A Month!"

I knew I wasn't very convincing, but I gave it a try. He glanced at me and then groaned, pacing a few steps in front of me. I kept my eyes lowered, biting my lip as he sighed multiple time. He spun around to meet me in the face again and I cringed, thinking he was going to latch onto my arm and drag me back to the office where I would become some kind of juvenile delinquent and never see Hinata, or Tenten, or Temari again and then I'd have a criminal record saying how I have a cross dressing fetish and I'm a female perv -

"One month and you're out," he said. My jaw unhinged slightly and I nearly jumped on him to give him a hug, but I reminded myself he wasn't one of my girlfriends and we barely knew eachother. Plus we were both 'boys' at the moment. He continued, "But keep in mind that you're living with a bunch of guys, and that you have to take a shower, too."

I froze.

"...Let me guess, you haven't thought it out that far?" Apparently he was very experienced with dealing with idiots.

I gave a hopeful grin, scratching the back of neck apologetically. "You'll help me, right?"

A groan. "Troublesome woman, not knowing what she's getting herself into..."

**-X-**

Surprisingly, my 'roommates' were the same guys that I had seen yesterday: Sasuke, Kiba, Neji, Gaara and of course, Shikamaru. Oh, did I mention they share rooms here? Maybe they're scared the girls will break out into catfights or pillow fights at night.. or that we'll jump on our menstrual cycles and run each other over...

"Hey," I murmured in what I hoped was a deep voice. It sounded too fake, so I toned it up a little. In my previous years in Choir, I was always in the Alto-Tenor range, so it wasn't like I had a very high voice for a girl anyways. If all else fails, then I could just be a girly boy, couldn't I? "I'm Akira."

The guys paused, glancing at me long enough to give me a nod, hopefully meant for approval. _Thank gosh..._

"It's about time that spare bunk was filled out," Gaara muttered, going back to his homework.

"So, Uchiha, what happened to that fangirl?" Neji asked teasingly, sitting on his bottom bunk and staring sideways at Sasuke. "I saw her crying and screaming for you to stop walking away."

"Ugh," Sasuke groaned, flopping onto his bed. Disgust was evident in his voice. "What's it to you, Hyuuga?"

Of course, I watched this silently, unpacking my stuff and shoving it under the bed as I sat on a the mattress.

"That's mine. You're up there," Shikamaru piped up. I raised a brow: _really? I thought... _Not that I was complaining, since I love being on the top of bunkbeds, but I thought everyone did, so... This guy was giving the top bunk to me? Awesome!

I moved my stuff out from under the bed and threw it on top. Shikamaru pointed out a few empty drawers that were apparently mine now. I nodded, unpacking and trying to secretly bury my underwear deep inside my T-shirts and whatnot so no one would catch sight of them. I had a few more bindings incase my current one was dirty or whatever, and I shoved that deep into the drawer too. I let out a sigh of relief when it was all done and I climbed back up onto my bed. There was a long silence.

"Oh..." Kiba glanced at me. "You didn't get our names yet."

_Yes I did._

"I'm Gaara," the first guy said, slightly grinning. He had azure blue eyes, which I wasn't able to see the other night. Did I mention that he had short, tousled, red hair and black rings around his eyes, almost like eyeliner. Red Hair! Azure eyes! And I don't care if it _is _eyeliner, it's just too damn hot!

"I'm Inuzuka Kiba," the boy offered his hand, which I shook. He had red markings on his cheeks, which I thought were really unique. Add in some messy brown hair, sharp eyes, and fang like teeth and you've got yourself a really cute guy. I nearly smiled too wide.

"Uchiha Sasuke," the raven-haired king of ego said from his bed, not even bothering to glance at me. Neji glimpsed at me briefly.

"I'm Hyuuga Neji," he said, giving me a smirk, and then turning back to his novel. I tried my best not to blush. His natural lavender eyes were enough to make any girl melt. Or at least I'm guessing they're natural. Hell, did guys wear colored contacts too? He didn't seem like... _that_type, though, but it wasn't like I had a lot of experience with men who cared about their appearance more than the average woman.

"...You already know me," Shikamaru grumbled as I glared at him.

Soon, it was nighttime and you know what _that _means: the curfew kicks in. Everyone got into their beds, yawning. I flopped onto mine, blinking a few times after noticing how uncomfortable it was. Tsunade had gone through quite the troubled to get me a cushioning, soft bed because I kept falling asleep during classes with a hard one.

I sighed and rustled slightly in my bed, rolling over to face the rest of my new roommates. I could make out Gaara's Red hair on the top bunk of Sasuke's, and Neji's long hair flowing onto the pillow on the bed over Kiba, who's sheets were everywhere. I looked down at Shikamaru. As if he knew I was looking at him, he opened his eyes and we made eye contact. I quickly retracted and buried myself into the sheets, my heart thumping like crazy from everything that was happening.

I beamed, realizing that I'd accomplished my goal of getting into the school undetected. So far.

_This is going to be interesting..._

-x-

**End Chapter.**

**Click it & Review? Y'know you want to? (:**


	2. Inuzuka Kiba ::02::

I found myself surrounded by my roommates in most of my classes.

In **Math**, I had Shikamaru, Kiba and Gaara.

**History** included Shikamaru, Gaara, and Neji.

**Japanese**: Just Shikamaru. Go figure...

**English and Modern Literature: **Shikamaru and Sasuke.

**Chemistry _and _Physics** had Shikamaru, Neji, and Sasuke.

And my last course, **Geography, **comprised of Shikamaru and Kiba.

Most importantly of all, Physical Education wasn't a requirement in Grade 11 or 12 - which was ultimately the greatest advantage of all: no need to involve myself in those change rooms and washrooms any more than necessary! - therefore, I ended up with a **Free Block****.**

Regardless, I raised an eyebrow. Was this just some coincidence?

"Hey, Shikamaru..." I tapped him on the shoulder during Math. "You're in.. What the hell; you're in all my classes!"

"The troublesome administrators," he muttered, not even giving me a glance, "think that I'm your new best friend after you requested to room with me."

"Huh? Oh... Sorry about that that...!" I ducked my head down, taking a seat next to him with my math textbooks and worksheets. "But er... I'm grateful for everything you're doing for me. Really..."

He merely muttered something about me being 'so troublesome.' I shrugged, and waited patiently as students continued to pile in.

"Hey, Akira." I whipped my head around to see Kiba sit on the other side of me. I said a quick hey and replied to his fist pump offer, all the while keeping my cheeks and body temperature under control. After all, Kiba was very cute. He had chestnut brown hair, and large brown eyes that I might have even called doe-like if they hadn't possessed such a mischievous glint. Forcing myself to stop admiring him like a creeper, I cleared my throat and shifted in my seat.

"Hey, Kiba," I remarked, noticing something, "what are those red marks on your cheek for?"

Kiba raised an eyebrow, as if he wasn't sure what I was talking about. I blinked and smirked, pointing towards my own cheeks and his brows rose.

"O-Oh! Those! I think they're some family tradition or something," he muttered with a shrug. "My sister, Hana, had them too."

I nodded, still mildly interested in them. The red marks on his cheeks made him mysterious if not _alluring_, and it attracted attention towards him too. "Cool."

Eager to distract myself from his boyish good looks before he caught my stare, I turned to the side, about to ask Shikamaru a question as I found him snoring at his desk. I blinked in confusion and almost humiliation, whereas Kiba just laughed.

"Ignore him. It happens alot... Especially during Math Class." Kiba remarked. Not that I could _blame_ Shikamaru; I was starting to feel sleeping from just looking at the various math problems.

Our Math teacher was Kabuto. He looked ather young to be a teacher, but someone told me that he was the EOC while the Original Math Teacher had a rare disease of some sort. Rumors even said that Kabuto was on the waiting list for years trying to become a teacher, and so he somehow inflicted the disease on the teacher himself. But it doesn't stop there, because I don't really have an issue with these stupid rumors, but I've seen with my own eyes that he has some weird fetish with the science teacher: Orochimaru. Every time I walked in the halls and saw them talking to each other, I couldn't help but give them a dirty look as if they were filleting a baby koala.

Hmm. Men.

"Turning to page 203, We'll have a quick review on trajectories of— SHIKAMARU!" Kabuto shouted, causing the lazy teen jumped up, blinking sleep away. I momentarily flushed lightly and tried to hide it with my arm. Shikamaru looked really, _REALLY_ cute when he just woke up.

**-X- Inuzuka Kiba —X-**

I noticed Akira's cheeks tinting red and raised an eyebrow. Was he gay? I mean, it's not like it's impossible, because he's rather on the skinny, feminine side, and he _did_ transfer to an all boys' schools, so...

Wait a second. Doesn't he look a lot like a ...

... That's too far fetched, Inuzuka.

**-X- Akira Hayashi -X-**

SOCCER: _I live it, I dream it, I love it._

Luckily, I hadn't transferred late enough (it was only October, anyway) to have missed tryouts, because _HERE I AM, TRYING OUT FOR THE BOYS' SOCCER TEAM! AHAHAHAHAA, KISS IT, SEXIST JERKS._

We ran through drills, goal shootings, general knowledge and whatnot, all struggling to stand out amongst others and show the coach our abilities and strengths. During the dribbling drills, I was surprised to find that not only were the guys in this particular school much more showy and arrogant about their skills, but they weren't afraid to _run your ass down to the floor if you got near their damn ball._

_I loved it. The aggression, the sweat, the challenge; it was what I lived for!  
_

"Alright, now we've got the blood pumping through our youthful systems! Let's end off this tryout with a fair _gaaaame!_" shouted the coach. His name was 'Gai' and _boy,_ was he _CREEPY._ He had these extremely thick eyebrows and this weird smile that seemed to twinkle (not in a good way). This will come off offensive, but something about him seemed to scream 'I ARE A TAD MENTALLY UNSTABLE' and 'PEDOPHILE ON THE LOOSE, HURRR'.

And no. It was _totally_ not the tight Green Jumpsuit.

"MY YOUTHFUL STUDENTS!" Gai boomed as I winced again. "DANZO, AKIRA, KIBA, CHOUJI, ROCK LEE, SHIKAMARU! YOU ARE ON ONE TEAM!"

"Why the heck is he shouting at us?" I murmured, thoroughly annoyed as Shikamaru smirked and pushed me to one side of the field.

"GAARA, SASUKE, NEJI, KYORO, DAISUKE, SHIN! OTHEEEER TEAM!"

I heard a faint 'humph', which caused me to scan the crowd for the cocky jerkface. My eyes landed on a smirking Uchiha. He caught my glance and seemed to scoff, as if not worried at all that I would be any kind of challenge to him.

Oh, it. Was. On.

Gai finished sorting everyone else by sixes and soon, the game began. He blew the whistle and boys spurred into action. For a moment, my eyes failed to catch the sprinting figures before my brain remembered that I wasn't playing on the girls' team anymore.

I was a guy. And I was going to kick some major freakin' ass.

Neji kicked the ball towards Sasuke who did a show offy kick, flipping upside down as he kicked it. My eyebrows raised in amusement.

I smirked: _**OOOOHHH:** It IS on!_

Shikamaru caught the ball, rolling his eyes which seemed to say, "That's all you got?" Sasuke glared back, frowning intensely.

Daisuke was soon in possession of the ball. As he whizzed past me, I nearly tripped over my own two feet. I spun around, sprinting forward before I saw Daisuke's sudden direction change and I knew very well what angle he was going to take. I yelled, "KIBA!"

He smirked as he launched at him from in front and as Daisuke's eyes flew up for a second to see his challenge. I braced as he slowed down his dribbling and I slid a foot between his own two legs and kicked the ball to Kiba, leaving Daisuke speechless. I laughed as I got back up and shot an arm up, encouraging Kiba to pass it over before he did, and I guided the ball skillfully further away from our goal.

My happiness barely lasted long since Neji appeared in front of me, knees bent and eyes piercing with their intense concentration. Planning to dodge him, he surprised me by kicking the ball away from me, towards the direction of our goal. Dribbling down the field was like second nature, or maybe he just knew where everyone was, and where they wanted to go because he dodged them with expertise, drawing in dangerously close to our goal. I scowled at our horrible defense, eyes darting to our Goalie, Shikamaru as the ball whizzed towards our post. Shikamaru dived, catching it with a smirk on his lips. He launched a full powered kick, which sent the ball flying to Kiba. With a tongue hanging out like a dog, Kiba flipped backwards and kicked the ball into the goal.

"Show off!" I heard Shikamaru yell. I chuckled, but stopped short as I looked around a noticed everyone was sweating.. dripping... with their dirtied white shirts... Breathing loudly as they flipped their hair out of their damp faces-

_HOLY FREAKIN' APPLE CIDER! **NO! **_I shook my head fiercly until my eyes landed on Kiba who seemed to be looking at me in a "What the hell?" way. I smiled sheepishly back at him, inching away from the suspicious brunette.

**- 40 minutes later -**

"Alright, my youthful students! Tryouts are over!" Gai bellowed, doing some sort of Egyptian pose. I shuddered, unable to contain my mixed feelings of disgust, disarray and and just plain _fear_. "Your coach Anko, and I will do some firm deliberating before we decide on the team! Have a _fantabulous, extraordinary_ day!"

Walking towards the dorms, I caught Shikamaru's glance and put a hand up to wave, my mouth opening to form words before-

"Aren't you gonna take a shower?" Kiba asked with a raised eyebrow, using his shirt to wipe his nose.

"Uh... Actually, I like to rest awhile after doing sports, or else I collapse really easily. I think.. I'll go back to the dorm and take a shower later." I amended carefully.

"Oh. No prob, I'll go with you," Kiba shrugged. "I have to go back anyways. I forgot a change of clothes."

_NO NO NO! YOU STAY HERE!_

My mind raced in calculation for any logical excuse that didn't involve me being infected with something or growing some type of fungus.

"Uhh...Sure," I said, trying to keep my calm, but I glanced back at Shikamaru, a short pleading look, only to find him merely glancing back helplessly, probably faced with a similar dilemma. What was he supposed to do? Besides, wouldn't it be kind of weird for Shikamaru to ask Kiba to shower here instead of the dorm? I didn't want to make my only friend in this school seem gay, after all. Not that I really cared homophobically, but Shika wasn't _actually_ gay, so... let's not give people false pretenses.

"A'right, let's go, Hayashi." he was still breathing hard and covered in sweat.

"Uh.. ok."

I believe I failed to mention that showers are located in the change rooms in the PE gyms, therefore showering in the dorms meant that, yes, it was uncommon, and very few people did so because there was only one shower per large dorm building. Though it was conveniently only a few meters from our room since it was on our floor, so I thought all my solutions were solved as long as I showered in that solitary stall all by myself while everyone else went elsewhere.

Keyword being: Thought.

_Karma is totally getting me back right now for being so close to hot guys,_ I thought, wrenching my shirt out of Kiba's view as he followed me up the stairs, sweat still drenching his shirt.

"Crap!" he shouted, alarming me. "I think I left my hoodie on the field. I'm gonna go rush and get it, you can shower first." He dashed off without another word, leaving me alone at a loss for words.

"Oh, then I'll be going first..." I shot into the washroom, stripping off my clothes in a frenzy. Not that it really mattered, but I was still a girl and I didn't like the fact that I smelled like expired sardines, plus I didn't know how long it was going to take Kiba, but I just inwardly hoped he'd take a long ass time getting that hoodie.

**-X-**

"AKIRA! **AAAAKKIIIIRRRAAAA!**" Kiba howled as he pounded on the door. "WHAT THE HELL! HOW DO YOU TAKE THAT LONG TO SHOWER? GET OUT, Y'GIRL!"

I cursed from inside the stall. I barely ever got to sweat this much when I was playing with the girls, since they were always wusses or sucked at soccer, so the coach would tell me to sit out for a while. Tryouts hadn't started for my school, so I obviously hadn't gotten in the habit of physical exertion yet. This was the stickiest I'd ever been!

I finally finished tying my chest straps on and hurriedly tied up my hair. There was a towel that hung loosely on my hips from and just as I was about to throw on a shirt...

Then I heard those evil, _evil_ words.

"I'M COMING IN, YOU DI-!" He shouted, and burst through the door. We held onto a long awkward pause with my T-shirt half way through my arms.

It was _definitely_ karma.

"WHY IS YOUR- WHAT ARE- BUT THAT'S- YOU'RE A...**AUUUUUGGGHH!**" Kiba shouted as I pushed him out and locked the door.

After I had changed and, I clicked the stall door open, nervously wrenching my hands together. Kiba was seated on one of the changing benches, fingers laced through each other.

"I... Um... can explain..."

"Uh-huh." He looked at me with disappointed eyes.

"I, um...!" I sq!eezed my eyes shut. How was I supposed to start this? Should I go for the pity, or would he see past that and rat me me out BECAUSE of it? Oh, GOSH!

"Kiba," I began, "PLEASE understand! I-I already promised Shikamaru that I would leave by the end of the month! It's just... that sports at my school got cut off due to water pipes being broken, and I came here to you know, play sports and... the School Board refused my offer, soo..." I was nearly sobbing. I felt like a little kid being caught stealing a cooking, except fifty times worse.

"You snuck in," he simplified bluntly. I nodded glumly. Yeah, that look on his face definitely meant he was going to rat me out.

"Yes, and I know I shouldn't have," I truthfully admitted. "Remember how you snuck into the girls' dorm?"

He snorted."Yeah, with the scary-ass chick?"

I stayed silent, blinking in feigned innocence. He blinked back, and it took a long awkward pause before he freaked out.

"...Oh... OOOOOHH... That-" He covered his mouth, turning red.

I smiled sheepishly. "That was me."

Silence.

"Alright, Hayashi, I'll keep your secret," he muttered.

"YYYEESSSS!" I hugged him tightly. "You _ROCK_ Kiba!"

"... You just didn't want me to rat you guys out that you snuck into the Girls Dorm, did you?"

"Psh, what? Nooooooo. Of course not!" I laughed, appreciating his sarcasm, yet silently wondering if it really was.

"Whatever. You keep mine, I'll keep yours."

The smirk that played onto his lips made my cheeks flare up several degrees. "Nice to see we can understand eachother."

**-X-**

Shikamaru frowned, his lips pursing. "So... Kiba knows now?"

"Uh.. yeah?" It sounded like a question. Shikamaru rolled his head back and sighed.

"Hey! It's not like.. I.. wanted him to know.."

He was still skeptical. "Did you?"

"NO!" It came out louder than I wanted to, which made me sound guilty. "He.. kind of walked in on me before I got out of the-"

"Forget I asked," he interrupted. His reply only increased the temperature of my cheeks.

I sighed and leaned against a tree next to Shikamaru, deep in thought. It was just after the incident and the minute I saw him, I dragged him outside. "Hope he keeps his word. But I think he'll keep his mouth since I... you know."

"True. You could always fight fire with fire and tell him off... But then you'd rat me out, too." He seemed to be threatening me not to tell, as if I was indebted to him.

"I was only kidding. I would never rat you out!" I smiled, playfully hitting him on the shoulder. His eyebrows twitched slightly at the contact, and he glowered back a bit, only for it to be replaced with a faint smirk.

"The fact that you're a girl is a secret, Akira," his breath brushed past my ear from the proximity. "Let's try to keep it that way."

I wasn't able to stop the blood from pooling behind my cheeks traitorously before he took notice. Shikamaru gave me a vague grin before taking my arm to lead me to our room.

**End Chapter.**

TEEHEEHEE. That last sentence makes me think of innuendos :3 *gets slapped*

OKAY, CREEPINESS ASIDE, I have a few more chapters to post before this picks up speed, so I hope you'll favorite this or whatever because the updates are going to go back pretty fast... depending on how many people are even reading ^^''

**Review comments, if any! I love to hear what you guys think :D**


	3. Uchiha Sasuke ::03::

Writing this was a whole bunch of fun xD  
In advance, I apologize for the choppiness and lack of description, but I PROMISE, IT WILL CHANGE IN LIKE.. 3 CHAPTERS. Just trying to keep it lighthearted and fun for these first few filler chapters until I start with some plot, if you get my drift (:  
OH! And Sasuke might seem a bit OOC in this one... I'm not really familiar&caught up with Naruto these days. D:

**-X- **

Uchiha Sasuke.

Alright, settle down now. I won't go all "he's gay" on you or spazz out about incredble his body is, because let's face it: the guy is hot. My first time hearing about him was in my first year at school, where Pinkie and Blondie completely bombarded their room with pictures of him, complete with a banner that read 'BONA FIDE SEX GOD OF ALL'. It was kind of hard to miss. Every time the door opened and I caught a peek of the fanart embellishing their walls, I died a bit on the inside.

They're the only two in the dorm who share a room, and now I know why.

Okay, with his raven coloured hair and mysterious onyx eyes, pale alabaster skin, and defined features, he's definitely _NOT NORMAL._

But hey: Neither am I, right?

**-X-**

Dissection Time.

Freakin' Brilliant.

Seriously, now, that wasn't sarcasm. Even though I had done this in the Girl's boarding school, my partner had been Pinkie. _**Pinkie! **_And despite her being smart, she completely freaked out just seeing the specimen dead. So much that big brain of hers.

I never realized how cool slash weird slash kind of fun dissecting was until I was paired up with Prince Uchiha, himself.

"Have you done this before at your old school?" rang his voice. My eyes snapped up immediately.

"What?" I gulped, suddenly painfully aware that I had over-reacted upon hearing the words 'old school'.

He didn't even bother to repeat it. He just stared at me, looked me up and down, and scoffed. I raised my brows at him and tried to refrain from letting my offense pour onto my face, which was harder than it seemed. Apparently _someone _wasn't good enough to be his partner! I mean, okay, so I was zoning out, but there's really no backed-up reason for why he had to be such a jerk about it! Why did all the girls like him?

Kiba was cool and mischievous, Shikamaru was thoughtful and nice despite his lazy behavior, and I didn't know about Gaara of Neji yet, but _really!_ Sasuke was just a **PLAIN. ASS.**

"Yeah," I grumbled in reply, burying my chin on my hand as I glared away from him.

All I got in response was a 'hn'.

"Screw this," I grunted after ten minutes. Orochimaru was _STILL _going on about... who knows what. Picking up the scalpel, I poked the dead sea cucumber hesitantly observing the way it replied with a mysterious slushing sound. Sasuke rolled his eyes, grabbing my hand and mushing it onto the mushy specimen. I let out an 'Ew!" out of impulse and jerked my hand back, glaring at him.

Sasuke raised a brow, but I was too angry to have noticed as I glared at him. Slowly, his expression changed and he chuckled.

"For a guy, you sure suck at glaring."

In reaction to the comment, I glared at him even more. Sasuke grabbed the scalpel, completely ignoring me and began making precise cuts into the specimen faster than a solid ninety percent of the class, if not more.

I frowned, huffing. Okay, he was smart too.

Big freakin' deal.

**-X- The Library —X- Sasuke —X-**

Okay, so he's weird. Big deal.

I walked into the library, regretting every minute I had to spend in 'English and Modern Literature'. What possessed me to take the stupid class anyway? I knew how to read the stupid language! I could analyze things in English! Hell, I could even write an error free documentary!

Then it came to me - _My father,_ I scowled. _Right._

"Alright, Class," the teacher, Asuma said with a grin, "We're helping Kurenai-sensei sort books today."

I heard a snort besides me as I turned to look at Akira, who was standing next to me. I caught a faint sentence from him.

"_Please. _Asuma-sensei's probably just gonna make out with Kurenai-san somewhere," he muttered as I raised an eyebrow; hell, he could be on to something. I wouldn't mind blackmailing the teacher to get myself out of class.

"Sasuke-" I heard my name, looking upwards to see Kurenai on the second floor of the library, looking down on us. "-Shikamaru, and Akira; go sort the books at Section C, first floor."

With reluctance, I strolled casually over to Section C to find a pile of books on the floor and scowled.

Just _LOVELY._

**-X Akira—X-**

I let out my enthusiastic 'groan of the century'.

A pile - No, _fifty_ piles - of books, sitting there, just _waiting_to be sorted. Yippee! Can't wait for the fun to get a-kickin'! PSH, YEAH RIGHT!

With another sigh, I reached down into a random pile and started putting them into certain shelves, until Sasuke smacked me on the back of my head.

"Idiot!"

I twirled around, teeth bore as I snapped, "The _heck_ is _your _problem, Uchiha?"

His eyes narrowed dangerously as he spat, "Those books don't go there!"

I narrowed my eyes, checking the decimals. "Think again. _Yes they do._"

"Do you even _know _how to sort library books?" Sasuke hissed back. I growled, parting my lips to fire back at him.

**-X- Third Person -X-**

Shikamara watched with slight annoyance as Sasuke and Akira continued arguing. After all, Akira was a girl! He shouldn't be yelling at her! It wasn't anything sexist, but when it came to dealing with girls, or _anyone _for that matter, hitting them on the head with a book first wasn't the right way to go at it. Uchiha was being a jerk.

"Uchiha, leave her alone," Shikamaru interrupted.

Silence followed, the sound of other groups sorting library books replacing the verbal fight. Shikamaru's eyes went wide as he opened his mouth for no noise to come out. _Crap. Akira's going to kill me!_

"..._Her_?" Sasuke asked with a raise eyebrow.

"Oi! Shikamaru, just because I'm a little badly built doesn't mean I'm a girl," Akira stammered, voice going a bit high out of anxiety.

"Yeah! Sorry! I meant 'him'! You know that, Uchiha." Shikamaru looked from 'him' to Sasuke, as Sasuke sported a suspicious frown.

_Whatever, _the Uchiha thought as he turned to Akira. 'He' was looking at Shika, who had a slightly apologetic expression on his face. With a sigh, Akira went back to sorting out the bookincorrectly, but not before sneaking Shikamaru another angry glance.

Something was up.

Sasuke frowned, deciding he would find out their secret. It would provide him more entertainment than sorting out librbary books, atleast.

**-X- Sasuke Being Nosy —X-**

Lunchtime. Sasuke was crouching behind a tree as he bit into his sandwich, watching Akira bite into an Apple. His roommate was grinning cheekily and talking, despite his mouth full with the apple contents. Kiba and Shikamaru sat with him, and they were deep in conversation.

Sasuke had to admit, Akira looked pretty feminine for a guy. Without a defined jawline, and with _'his' _features... 'Handsome' would be pushing it, but there was no denying the fact that he wasn't all that bad looking. He probably rivaled his own brother, Itachi, in looks: Jet Black Hair... Contrasting auburn eyes... slender arms and legs...

_DEAR LORD! _Sasuke cursed himself with a horrified expression as he froze. What was he thinking?

The sound of Akira's laughter interrupted his thoughts as he gazed at him, his mouth full of the apple bits as he stifled a laugh with his hand. His eyes were slit into half-moons, and he coughed, whacking Kiba in the arm and shouting something. Kiba replied with a smirk and a shrug before muttering something else that made Akira laugh again, and even earning a chuckle from Shikmaru. Sasuke watched entranced, thoughts racing almost as fast as his heart-...

_...Oh no..._

But he had such strikingly beautiful eyes...

_But I'm not..._

And a svelte, lean neck...

_H-Hold it!_

With red lips so easily taken advantage of.

_AM I GAY?_

**-X-**

Half an hour later, I was walking through the dorm halls with Kiba talking about none other than the topic of school. It was weird to know that the Guys' school was ahead of my classes in terms of the material we were learning, but I'm sure that had nothing to do with gender. We turned the corner and Kiba walked ahead of me as I continued to talk, pushing open the door to our room.

"Thank gosh I don't have any PE. I don't know if I could stand being near all–" My words came to an abrupt halt as I spotted Sasuke on his bed, reading.

"Sup, Uchiha?" Kiba remarked, sitting on his bed, taking off his shirt. "Y'look tense."

Sasuke grimaced. "I just have some..."

_...Was it just me, or did he just blush and look at me?_

"...things on my mind."

I shrugged it off and went to lie on my bed, the bunk above Shikamaru's. I turned away briefly as Kiba whipped off his shirt and put on a new one and tried to occupy myself with a soccer ball respectfully. He sniffled and glanced at me. "I'm gonna go downstairs for a drink at the vending machine. You want one?"

"Sure, a Sprite. Thanks," I ordered simply, tossing the soccer ball between the tips of my fingers like a basketball.

Kiba opened his mouth to say something but stopped short. I temporarily stopped tossing the ball and quirked an eyebrow at him. His gaze was worried. I blinked, laughing. "I'll pay you back, okay?"

He continued to look at me, his gaze transfixed before I realized that it wasn't what was worrying him. I gave a look of understanding, glancing briefly at Sasuke and giving a subtle thumbs up. He relaxed. "No prob, it's on me. Be back in a sec."

He whipped around and jogged to the door, pulling it close with a click, leaving me alone with Sasuke.

**-X- Third Person -X- **

Sasuke gulped.

Akira continued to toss 'his' soccerball, a nonchalant look on 'his' face. After several tosses, it began to bore 'him' and 'he' spun it slowly in 'his' hand, eyes traveling over to the brooding Uchiha.

"Are you okay?" 'he' asked. "You're being all silent and moody. Are you PMSing?"

"Hn."

Akira blinked, leaning back against the wall. "Er… I take that as a yes?"

"..."

'He' cleared his throat awkwardly. "...Uh, wanna talk about it?"

"Hn."

"Dude!" Akira shouted, hopping down from the bunk as 'he' walked over to Sasuke's bedside, a bit on edge. Sasuke shifted uncomfortably. He didn't like having Akira so close to him.

"Do you have a _one-word vocabulary _or something?" Akira yelled, infuriated. Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Seriously, you act like you have a stick up your ass all the time. I mean, really, Pinkie and Blondie are always going on and on about you and I guess I should have seen it com-… Sh*t."

Sasuke sat up. As life would have it, he caught your mistake. "Pinkie? Blondie? Are you talking about Sakura and Ino?"

Akira gulped, wishing she wasn't so careless and caught up with Sasuke's egotistical ways.

"I thought you transferred here from Ame," Sasuke inquired suspiciously as Akira opening 'his' mouth, lips failing to produce full sentences.

"UUUHHHH..."

"What's your secret?" Sasuke urged. _"Really?"_

"...Erm... I... Uh... My cousin is Sakura!" 'He' said in a hurry, hoping 'his' voice wouldn't betray him.

And just as life would have it, Kiba walked in quietly just as Sasuke spoke.

"So _that's _your big secret?"

**-X- Akira Hayashi —X-**

I was about to open my mouth to laugh and say, 'Who told you it was 'big'?', until someone pushed open the rest of the door.

"Akira-chan!" Kiba said in shock. My head snapped towards him, rage directed towards the intruder.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. Akira is a unisex name... and... Kiba had said, '-Chan' ... _WAIT._

I was absolutely sure Sasuke was thinking those exact things, because he stared at me with the most disturbed look ever worn by Uchihas. I looked at Kiba with a horrified look rivaling Sasuke's and waved my arms in a futile attempt to tell him to shut up, but it was too late.

"You told him you're a girl?" Kiba continued.

"You're a girl?" Sauske repeated in alarm. I dropped my jaw, voice failing me again as I tried to come up with something. I was good at lying, but not when I was caught redhanded.

"Erm... no... I'm not."

"Wait a minute, wh-…" Sasuke stood up towards me and pulled out my ponytail. My long black hair came spilling out and over my shoulders.

I watched his eyes. He couldn't know I was a girl just because of my long hair, right? Neji also had long hair and he could pull it off, right? RIGHT?

_... Good job, Kiba._

"I knew it," Sasuke said bluntly. I scorned as panic set in.

"You're not gonna rat me out, right?"

"Don't rat her out, Uchiha," Kiba said in a warning tone as Sasuke cast a surprised glance at Kiba.

"How long have you known?"

"Uh... Just... recently.."

"How?"

"Uh. Shower… I walked in–"

"Forget I asked," he hissed, running his hand through his hair. He glared at Kiba. "You didn't tell anyone?"

"Hey! What I do is my freedom. If I wanna help the girl out, it's my choice! Don't tell me you're gonna be a jerk without hearing her out, now?"

I was sitting on my bed as I brushed my hair away from my face. I was going to be ratted out by Sasuke. THIS WAS_ SASUKE_ WE WERE TALKING ABOUT! If anything, he would probably shout it over the PA_ just for spite!_

"...Fine. I'll keep this a secret."

"Hear me out, I-... _Say **what?**_" He averted his eyes from me as he took a seat on his bed.

"...Uhh... Thanks," I stated awkwardly, resisting the urge to fiddle with my fingers in a girly way.

"But first..." he went on, and I stiffened. "Why are you even here?"

I smiled sheepishly, and went on to explain the truth: exactly what I had told Shikamaru and Kiba. The further I went in the story, Sasuke's expression never changed, as if he was deep in thought. Finally, when it was all out, he looked at me and squinted.

"But... Why do you look so familiar…" I blushed, and Kiba stiffened, opening his mouth to tell him when Sasuke's eyes went wide. "You're that... that girl. That girl we saw from the dorm when we-..!"

I grinned apologetically as realization dawned on his face and a blush covered his cheeks. I shrugged and took my hair tie to tie my hair. "You guys snuck into my dorm, and I remembered Shika's name, so I specially requested to stay with him." The last part I said in a grumble. "But I didn't expect to see _all of you..."_

Footsteps were heard in the hallway at the same time as mumbling. As they got closer, I made out a '…so troublesome', and cursed, knowing it was the rest of my roommates. I finished tying my hair, and got off Shikamaru's bed to climb up onto my own bunk, fanning my cheeks to get rid of the blush.

Shikamaru, Neji and Gaara stepped into dead silence. I flushed at how awkward everything seemed. Shikamaru was in a only a fishnet shirt and his usual pants. He looked really cute with the fishnet, I mused. Neji had on a simple, loose black sleeveless top and a pair of sweatpants that hung lazily on his hips. Gaara was shirtless and had on black slim pants.

I forced myself not to nosebleed right then and there as Neji stepped closer to me, an eyebrow raised. "Hayashi, you okay? You're all red. Got a fever?"

"H-Huh? Don't think so, actually I just-!" Sasuke let out an unintentional growl as Neji stepped even closer to me, pushing up my bangs to feel my forehead. He let go of my forehead, turning towards Sasuke with a confused raised eyebrow.

"What's up _your _ass, Uchiha?" the bodyguard Hyuuga asked with a smirk, and then proceeded to go into the bathroom to take a shower.

I found myself watching Sasuke with a slight smile. The Uchiha had an adorable, yet annoyed look on his face.

Okay, so maybe Pinkie and Blondie went over the top with the whole 'room decorated with pictures of a legit sex god' thing, but hey, he was pretty hot after all.

**-X- Third Person —X- 'Secret Meeting Spot' —X-**

"You told Uchiha, too? This whole situation is so troublesome!" Shikamaru groaned as Akira smiled innocently.

"Well, he basically figured it out, and he probably thought I was homo for the longest time, sooooo..." Akira let her voice trial off as she gave Shikamaru another smile, which he couldn't resist. He grumbled at his lame reaction, but there was something about her that made his hair stand on end — and not because it had been tied up that way.

The two of them were in a secret meeting place that Shikamaru had told Akira about to discuss her current predicament: outside the school, behind the storage shed where the forest was. There was a large fallen tree that provided them a seating place. There was a clearing of trees that allowed full view of the heavens, and it was so soothing and serene with the clear blue sky in clear sight.

Shikamaru shifted his weight on the floor, the woodchips prickling his behind. "Are you sure you're not purposely telling him so that you can date Uchiha?"

She blushed. "Yeah, right!"

"Sure, troublesome girl."

"PSH! Even if it _was_ true, which might I add _again_ that's it's _not_, it wouldn't be _Uchiha _that I would date! If I had planned this, it would be the very first person in this school that knew I was a girl!" She declared. She didn't think about what she was saying, and was just randomly speaking.

The school warning bell rang. Akira swore as she stood up and brushed the bristles off her butt. She held out her hand to Shikamaru, who was sitting on the ground. He looked up at her and then at her hand before she waved it, urging him to take it. She rolled her eyes at him in feign annoyance before laughing. "Come on, slowpoke! Didn't you learn that you shouldn't leave a girl waiting?"

At this, he surrendered a bittersweet smirk and accepted her hand, still using his hand to get up as she hoisted him up. She walked around him and wiped the residue off his back since he had lain against the log. She made her way down midback before noticing that his butt was covered with woodchips and her hands stopped just border of groping his behind. Shikamaru noticed too, as he cleared his throat and turned around to face Akira's blushing face. She looked up and shrugged, trying her best to hide how nervous she was. They were both dangerously close.

Shikamaru blushed, even though he willed himself not to. He was, after all, starting to see her in a different light: a daredevil, a sweet girl, a troublesome temper, a very, _very_ pretty girl - **WHOA.**

_The troublesome girl is off-limits._ Shikamaru warned himself. _OFF-LIMITS! _

"...Kiss you."

Shikamaru had only caught the last part of Akira's sentence as he suddenly jumped backward. "**WHAT?**"

"I _SAID_, are you okay? You look like someone had just asked if they could kiss you…" she grumbled. "Or something like that. Now you look like someone _did _kiss you."

He coughed and wiped the blush off his face to the best of his ability before turning around. "Wh-whatever. Let's just get to class, troublesome girl."

Akira grinned. He turned around and began speed walking to the school, a tint of pink covering his cheeks that he didn't want Akira to see.

"Troublesome girl!" she mimicked as she gave him a lopsided smile and proceeded to walk with him to class. He ignored her, eyes straight as he tried to ignore the thought roaming his brain only to have no luck. Shikamaru's head was debating uncontrollably, his throat squeezed tight.

Sure, she was pretty.

Sure, she was sweet.

Sure, she was a daredevil.

But, she was **OFF-LIMITS.**

...Right?

-x-

**End Chapter.**


	4. Hyuuga Neji ::04::

**-X-**

The bodyguard.

Hyuuga Neji was definitely one of the hotties that the girls in my old school would drool over: beautiful, pure lavender eyes, and long brown hair tied a few inches short of the end. Add that little '-x-' tattoo on his forehead, and you've got yourself a genuinely cute guy. Now, I'm not one to bat my eyelashes and swoon over every good looking guy I see, but even _I _have some trouble hiding that blush when he walks by and gives me a glance.

Only problem?

He's an arrogant ass.

Much like Uchiha, if you think about it. It was seriously ironic, seeing as they were both identical in terms of arrogance and conceit, yet they didn't get along with each other at all. I guessed it was _because _they were such arrogant asses.

I let out a frustrated sigh as I realized that three, I repeat _three_ of my roommates now knew that I was a girl. Somehow, I felt like some kind of horrible disaster was going to happen. I mean, a bunch of drama was _already _happening.

But then again, it wouldn't be life without it.

**-X-**

If I had to choose one class to zone out on, it was definitely History. So as I sat in my squeaking wooden chair, I had my head resting on crossed arms, muttering to myself as I pondered.

_I need to find some sort of way so that I'm never alone with Neji or Gaara... Otherwise I bet they're going to find out! _I mused as I massaged my temple. Definitely not as easy as I thought. Heck, I thought that no one other than Shika would possibly find out, but look where I am no-

"You okay?" I shot up in my seat, whipping my head back to meet the unwavering gaze of the Hyuuga himself. I gulped as his eyebrow raised upward, stammering for a lame excuse.

"Ah- hey, what?... Uh, I... actually..." Boy, wasn't I articulate!

"Whatever," he muttered as my gaze hardened. I opened my mouth to curse at him, but Shikamaru tapped my shoulder, shaking his head.

"Don't, Hayashi," he scolded. "He's a bodyguard. He can kick your ass."

"Please!" I huffed, "I bet I can take him, hands down!"

**-X- Hyuuga Neji —X-**

"I bet I can take him, hands down!" Akira boasted proudly, nose pointed high.

...Hn... He's a little strange.

I studied him for a few more seconds until I realized a familiarity: Reddish-Brown eyes, Black Hair.

_Reminds me of someone, _I mused absentmindedly. I mentally scrolled through the entire list of anyone I knew that had red eyes and black hair...

_"Kiba! You dumbass!" _I raised an eyebrow at the faint voice lodged in the back of my memory. Wasn't it Uchiha who had said it? Riiiiight... when we had been sneaking into the girl's dorm room.

_Ah, that girl..._

I thought about her sometimes. She was average in terms of looks, but as far as I knew, unlike most fangirls.

They would've probably attacked us will pillows and then begged us to make out with them. She, on the other hand, was sarcastic towards us, and on top of that yelled at is. She didn't waste a second to marvel at 5 teenage guys falling into her room in the middle of the night, and she sure as heck didn't threaten us to stay. Not only that, but for her to have been in the room at all only meant that she hadn't gone to the dance.

She was definitely different.

And yet, even though I thought about her so much, I _still _didn't know her name.

_Hinata-sama won't tell me either, _I thought with a sigh. My eyes wandered in the direction of my new roommate again, as I caught myself staring at him.

_... Hayashi and that girl look... unusually similar. _My eyes narrowed, zero-ing in on my target. Without a doubt, there was that Déjà vu feeling, trying to convince me that I had seen him before, but the other part of me refused to draw the connection.

I shrugged it off. The end result probably wasn't important, anyway.

**-X-**

No one really knew what _overprotective _meant until they had met Neji Hyuuga himself, or at the very least, seen him in action.

After all, he was... _the _bodyguard; it was to be expected, but...

_"What are YOU doing here?"_

_"Erm... Hi, Neji! Uh... Hinata-chan asked me to help her with shopping!"_

_"..." Neji eyed the Uzumaki boy suspiciously, whereas Hinata momentarily sweatdropped. Oh dear._

_"Alright, but..." As Hinata smiled at her cousin's approval and walked away, Neji stepped closer to Naruto, who began to shiver visibly. "If you hurt her, I'll... [insert long list of complicated torture matters that sound extremely painful], got it?"_

_"G-G-G-..." Naruto forced himself to calm down. "GOT IT!" With that, he dashed after Hinata, who was blushing and wondering why the blue-eyed boy was suddenly so flustered._

See what I mean?

Basically, he knew overprotectiveness when he saw it (being absolutely insane himself).

So when Hyuuga Neji walked out to lunch that day and saw Akira surrounded by three guys (Uchiha, Nara and Inuzuka - usually he would find it fine, but even _Uchiha_?), he immediately raised a brown eyebrow.

What the hell was going on?

**-X-**

I walked into the dorm room, tossing my bag carelessly next to my bed as I flopped down, letting out a heavy sigh. I was all alone, YAY! Finally some time to myself where I could-

_WHAM! _The door to the bathroom slammed open, and I was fully exposed to a half naked Hyuuga hottie in the flesh, a towel hanging lazily at his hips as he walked out.

I forced myself to, yet again, _NOT HAVE A NOSEBLEED,_ while mentally cursing. _DAMMIT! I haaad to pick the dorm full of hot guys, like Nara, and Inuzuka, and Uchiha, and Hyuuga, and Gaa- WAIT, NO! DARNIT. We are NOT venturing into that territory, Akira! Are NOT!_

Without another second thought, I reached under my pillow to hide my blush with a book, when I cursed again. Where was my book?

"...Erm... Hyuuga-san, do you know where my book is?" I asked hesitantly, trying to push my eyes onto his face and not his perfectly chiseled abs...

"Oh. Sorry 'bout that. I borrow it. 'Sright there," Neji muttered, nudging his head to his nightstand, where I noticed my book was. I cursed under my breath softly and walked over, getting my book. When it seemed like I was about to escape...

"Hey, are you injured?" I jumped at his voice. I couldn't help that he always seemed to say something in the middle of a long silence.

"Uh... no," I gulped, a bit confused. Injured?

"It seems like you are, cause... your bandages are ... uh, sticking out of your shirt."

_OH._

_"Shoot!" _I hissed, eyes widening as I gulped. He was staring at me in perplexity again, and I offered a lame, shaky smile. "I'm fine. I'll just quickly go the washroom and-"

He walked forward and extended a hand. "Here, let me see the wound."

"I-I'm fine..." Backing away into a wall, I struggled to keep my composure. This was not good. What happened to _not being stuck in a room with him ALONE_?

"Dude, this isn't even the first time that bandage has fallen out. If it's been here that long, it might be infected."

"Nope, I'm preeeetty sure it's not infected," I advised, feeling my back hit the wall. He narrowed his eyes at me, lavender orbs staring straight into my lies.

"Why are you panicking like that?"

"UH..." Not good. Not good. Not good. Not good. Not good. ..

"Hayashi, Wh- _HAYASHI!"_

**-X-**

Akira slid down the wall with 'his' back, eyes closed in unconsciousness. Neji called out 'his' name, bending over to prevent 'him' from hurting 'his head'.

But as life would have it, Sasuke walked into the room.

_"Hyuuga!" _Neji snapped his head back to see the angry Uchiha charging towards him. Kiba and Shikamaru followered in shortly afterwards.

"WHAT THE-"

"GET AWAY FROM HER!"

Kiba dashed over, feeling Akira's forehead as he picked 'him' up, glaring at Neji, who was, in every way, bewildered at what was going on. Sasuke strut over to the Hyuuga, expression filled with doubt and anger. "Don't lay a hand on her!"

_"...Her?"_

The entire room fell silent, halting the process of shaking Akira awake. 'He' twitched his eyes finally, senses coming back into tact.

"Oh sh*t, Akira's gonna kill us," Shikamaru grunted. "Uchiha, Kiba... he didn't know."

"...What?" Both of the boys stared at Shikamaru.

"He. Doesn't. Know," Shikamaru repeated dryly as Neji stared at Akira in horrow. 'He', or rather, _she_was now groaning, and clutching her forehead.

"Aki...Akira's a girl?"

Her eyes flew open, wide with realization, the words acting like a gong to her senses.

"Sh*it!" Sasuke and Kiba shouted in unison as she got up, rubbing her forhead like she was having a major headache - which she was.

"I'm... going to _kick your asses!_" Akira bellowed, lunging after them.

They ran for the door to escape, only to have it fly open and in enter Gaara. Akira crashed into both the backs of Kiba and Sasuke, but not before grabbed the collars of their shirts.

Neji was blushing and mumbling to himself, Shikamaru was rubbing his temples, Kiba and Sasuke were running from Akira's angry clutch, and Akira look about read to strangle the life out of them.

Gaara, thankfully, didn't notice anything strange.

Neji blinked. _So, she's the girl... the one I've been - OH NO._

Hyuuga Neji was now living with the _girl_ that he had been thinking about _all the time._

Could life _get _any worse?

Kiba snorted, temporarily free of Akira's clutch as she targetted Sasuke. "Frick, Hyuuga, your nose is bleeding like a river."

Maybe it could.

**-X-**

"-CAN'T BELIEVE Kiba and Sasuke! I mean, I know they didn't mean to and all, and I'm flattered that they jumped up to save me from what looked like Neji trying to have his way with me, but _seriously! _I might as well slap a big fat-ass sign on my forehead that says 'OOH! I'm a GIRL!'!"

They were back at the forest hideout space with the log and clearing of trees. Dry, crumpled leaves scrunched under each of her steps as she paced around anxiously. The sound was started to drive Shikamaru insane.

"And now Gaara-san's the only one who doesn't know, and things are going to have to be secretive and 'avoidy' in order to navigate around him and everything, not to mention I've got Math with him tomorrow and-"

"Hayashi, calm down," Shikamaru mumbled. She groaned and sat down next to him, letting her head rest on his shoulder as she mentally sobbed.

"This is _not_ going according to plan! _NOT!_"

Shikamaru blushed as he felt Akira's head flop gently on his shoulder - funny how it fit perfectly there, like it was made for her to put her head on-

_Whoa. WHOA._

Shikamaru cleared his throat noticeably louder than necessary, making Akira pull herself up. He fidgeted with his seating on the fallen tree, averting his eyes form her as she continued to pace. He didn't like it when she walked around, but he didn't like it when she sat down next to him, either. He felt just a bit greedy.

"I bet he's gonna find out tomorrow. It's like... each day, a new person will find out. What is this: some badly written story that ends in my eminent death?" she grunted.

"I think... you're just worrying too much," the lazy teen replied. The clearing in the trees made for a clear view of the sky above.

"Oh, whatever. If life wills it, then let it be!" She plopped down beside him, the scrunchingof leaves finally being brought to a halt. Shikamaru took a deep breath in, and then exhaled, letting his nerves calm-

"The clouds," she breathed, voice soft, "they look beautiful."

Surprised that she would notice, his train of thoughts and emotions derailed. His eyes snapped abruptly to her side profile, eyes drawn upwards towards the cloudy blue skies.

She was... just so...

"Yeah," he whispered, gazing softly at her. "Yeah, they do..."

-x-

**End Chapter.**


	5. Sabaku no Gaara ::05::

**Ooooh. **Mysterious.

I'll admit, something about the blood red 'Ai' on his forehead, perfectly comprehensible abs, azure eyes and tousled, fiery hair just screamed out **'HOTTIE'.**

Sure, he gives off the impression that he'll kill anything that moves, plus he scares the crap out of people, but it's not like he's the type of 'badass' that kicks puppies or pushes old ladies into streets, right? I'm sure deep, deep inside the badass student from Suna, is a heart - _not_ a cold one.

And I'm not just saying that because he rushes the blood to my face and turns my legs to jelly at a mere glimpse.

Seriously. Come on now.

**-X- Math Class –X-**

_I._

_HATE._

_MATH._

_Ihatemath__Ihatemath__Ihatemath__Ihatemath__Ihatemath__Ihatemath_ ...

_I WILL NEVER, EVER TAKE MATH EVER AGAIN! _I decided as I glared up at the chalkboard.I mean, I understand that it's all connected, and I can't even get a job at a cash register without the knowledge of 'math', but _seriously! _If I was an aspiring cook, I'm sure I didn't need to find the derivative of _u _with respect to _x..._

Shikamaru was leaning back, his hair brushing my desk. I glanced over at him and blinked, flicking him playfully in the head. He flinched and turned around to glare at me, which I grinned sheepishly at.

"What the hell was that for?" he hissed. I blinked.

"...Boredom," I muttered meekly.

"Troublesome woman," he hissed under his breath and slumped on his desk, closing his eyes. I gave him another apologetic, sheepish grin and sighed again, hanging my head low. I was barely half way done with the assigned equations...

******-X- Third Person -X- **

Gaara was sitting right next to Akira, and happened to accidentally hear a catch of the conversation Akira had with Shikamaru.

_"...some woman..."_

He replayed the sentence in his head one more time and raised a nonexistent eyebrow.

Gaara's sea foam eyes flickered briefly to Akira as he wrote down the problem from the board and began to solve it quickly. Heck, as much as he was grumbling about it, he was a genius.

He leaned over to him so that his breathe brushed Akira's ear.

"Could you help me with that?" he said softly, teasing.

**-X- Hayashi Akira –X-**

_Snap! _went my pencil as soon as the teasing words finished.

Whatthehellwaswrongwithme? He wasn't even sitting that close!

My jaw unhinged as the words were unable to form, and my gaze was steadily locked on my paper. The blood had pooled traitorously behind my cheeks, and I could feel the rise in temperature coming on way too fast. I was about ready to fry an egg on my face.

Shikamaru turned around, smirking at me as I glared at him. Even as I noticed that Gaara was no longer beside me, I wasn't able to calm down until I saw his back facing me.

_This isn't good. _I let out a shaky breath as he stole a glance in my direction, the smug smirk making my heart flutter.

_T__his isn't good **at all.**_

**-X- Hayashi Akira –X-**

"Hn. Sabaku's weird," Sasuke muttered to me as the five of us sat in the bustling cafeteria. I had noticed the transition from 'lonely sitting' to 'shyly coming over to Shikamaru', all the way to having Kiba, Sasuke, _and _Neji all surrounding me at a cafeteria table. They had each gotten rather protective of me upon learning the secret that I was girl, especially because this was an all-boys'-school. I mean, I didn't feel like I needed any protection. It's not like guys gang-raped the feminine ones of the school here, right? They seemed to disagree, designating that there should always be at least one of them by my side (other than private matters like changing and the washroom) and that they should know _where_ I am _at all times._

In other words, they were my self-proclaimed bodyguard force. Sweet, but... erm...

**WEIRD.**

"Try not to be alone with him, Akira," Shikamaru advised. I looked over at him.

"Stay away from him, Aki-chan," Kiba advised, trying out my new nickname. My gaze darted over to him. "I don't want you getting hurt or anything..."

Neji merely snorted, drawing my attention over to him. "Like we would _let_her get hurt, Inuzuka."

Kiba leaned forward, his teeth bore in a sneer. "Oi, Hyuuga, picking a fight?"

I raised a brow and parted my lips in an attempt to slap them out of being so irrational and worrisome, only to be distracted with a bright orange streak hurtling towards us. I flinched, ready to dodge just as the orange sunspot came to a halt in font of Sasuke.

"UCHIHAAAAAAA!" Dust flew into my eyes from the screeching halt.

Said Uchiha scoffed. "Idiot."

"Oi, Don't call me that, *sshole!"

Sasuke smirked in response (in which I might add helookedverysexy. AHRM, I MEAN... The weather's nice today~). "Did you come all the way over here just to tell me that?"

The yellow haired boy paused for a moment. "Oh yeah! I wanted to tell you that the principal announced a dance tonight..."

The boys around you, and anyone else who overheard filled the cafeteria with their rolls of eyes and scoffs. The blonde snickered devilishly. "-And everyone is required to go!"

Water spat out of mouths, jaws dropped, and the manliest of guys gasped in the room. I let out a small snigger.

"The school's getting evaluated," he sighed. "And the old fart's makin' it mandatory because the female to male ratio of the turn-out is too far apart!"

"And don't even think about sneaking out," he went on. "There's a check-in at the entrance, and if you don't go, you fail PE. I hear it's the same for the girls' school, too! So it means full attendance from all senior members of both schools, except for the lucky few who don't have PE: Which isn't a lot!"

"That barely gives us any option," Sasuke exhaled heavily, hanging his head. The boys around me did the same as I scanned the cafeteria filled with solemn expressions. I shifted uncomfortably; the 'old fart' really knew what he was doing. In this elite school, PE was something that _no one _skipped out on: maybe if was something about the certain guys at this school, but they'd rather run a few laps than sit through a lecture or a test. It was the same case for me, except when I was given the opportunity to skip out on PE with a boys' class, I obviously took it. As much as I loved Physical Education, there were more important things I could have sacrificed to help keep my gender a secret at this school.

"Exactly - Hey, who are you?"

I was still in deep thought, not knowing that he had suddenly spoken to me until Neji nudged me on the shoulder. "Ow, what the - Oh, huh?"

"What's your name?" he asked, giving me a blink of his blue eyes. I squinted my eyes, suddenly aware that his description matched with...

"It's courtesy to give your name before asking for someone else's, right?" I countered, sending him a grin of my own.

"Uzumaki Naruto!" He gestured a thumbs up proudly. I laughed at his unmissable energy. _Hmm... So this is a kid that Hina-chan has a crush on. Guess opposites attract, ne?_

"I'm Akira, 16 years old, and will gladly own you in a game of soccer." This earned a chuckle from him, as his cheeky grin gave me a run for my money.

"Heh! You're so skinny; I could take you down in seconds! _Girl_," he taunted. I feigned a look of horror.

"Oi!" I hit my chest convincingly for comedic effect. "I'm full male!"

Kiba, Neji, Sasuke and Shikamaru coughed at my words, earning a mental note for me to kick their asses later on. Naruto was too busy laughing at my obviously-fake offense, and didn't catch the angry glare I sent them. I was glad Naruto had a good sense of humor. "You're not bad, kid! I'll see you around!"

I gave him a short wave as he dashed off and out of sight. It was as if the sudden friendship of Naruto had triggered all the memories of my old school since he reminded me of Hinata, but suddenly, a thought shook me.

"Ohhh no." The rest of the boys stared at me in concern.

"What is it?" Shikamaru inquired.

"Crap," I hissed. "He just said that it's mandatory for my school, too! If it is for us, without a doubt it is for the Girls' school... but I can't be in two places at the same time!"

The boys exchanged glances. Shikamaru asked, "What exactly did you tell your old school to let you leave? Didn't you drop out all together?"

"Like I would do something as rashly thought out as _that! _Give me some credit!" I gulped. "Actually, I've got a few connections with a tutor... and I got him to write a note saying that I'd be taking AP classes with him for a while so I could de-stress from all the pressure and busy-ness of a school life. Or.. something like that. I don't know what exactly he wrote, but it convinced them to let me take a one month leave from regular classes. That being said, _they _still think I'm living in the school dorms, so it's not like I'm not a student anymore, and when I get back, I'll still have to take the finals, exams, and get graded. It's like.. I'm taking a home-school leave."

"Then you probably don't need to attend as a girl," Kiba suggested, unflinching as he said my gender out loud. I really needed to talk to him about that... "If you're on a leave, then you obviously wouldn't be available to participate in school events, right?"

"Like I said, I'm still supposed to be living in the dorms. They don't know I'm gone," I explained. "So... since it's an after-school activity, and I'm still a student... it's mandatory."

"...What are you going to do?" Neji posed the question, making me crane my neck back and sigh.

"You're not on a PE team, for obvious reasons. You're lucky that it's not a requirement in grade 11 and 12, which means you can't fail the course. You're in the safe zone at this school," Shikamaru stated, making me smirk at how fast he calculated it all.

"Right," I admitted. "That basically leaves me no other choice: I have to sneak back tonight."

**-X-**

"If I take this route," I mumbled under my breath, fiddling with the end of the pencil in my mouth, "I can definitely sneak in without the supervision catching me outside..."

A book dropped onto the library desk I was at, causing my head to snap up, meeting the cerulean eyes of Gaara. He was wearing a simple black T-shirt with an elaborate design of a skull on in, paired with dark-washed jeans.

"O-Oh. G-" I cleared my throat, "Gaara..."

"What're you reading?" he inquired casually.

"Erm... Just a map," I answered hastily, putting it back into the shelf. As I whirled around to leave, a hand slammed onto the shelf's wooden frame, blocking my path. I gulped loudly as he leaned in inches from my face, eyes twinkling with mischief and arrogance.

"For... the _Girls' _school?" he whispered lowly, baritone voice raspy with an emotion I'd have never expected to hear from him.

"See you later," he chuckled, withdrawing his toned arm, "Akira-_chan."_

Gaara seemed to snicker as my jaw dropped, before he turned around and disappeared around the corner. Ookay: Really hot dude just pinned me against the shelves and basically **told **me that he knew I was a girl...

_Brilliant, _I thought with irony. _Oooooh, Brilliance, indeed._

I hung my head in shame as I headed back to the dorms.

**-X- Third Person –X-**

Shikamaru, Kiba, Neji, and Sasuke were all inside the room already. Akira had everything clearly blue-printed out in her mind, ready for action. She un-locked the window and slid it open easily, bolding bringing her foot out.

"If you kill yourself climbing out the window, we'll be sure to report it as a suicide," Sasuke provoked, sending her a jeering smirk.

She glowered at him, straddling the window sill with her legs. "Son of a-"

"You know the route?" Neji asked. Akira nodded, swinging her other foot out the window so that she was sitting with both legs dangling outside.

"I'll be back after the dan-" Everyone paused as Gaara walked into the room. Their wide, horrified gazes contrasted with Gaara's melancholy as he casually strolled to his bedside.

"...Uhhhhh..."

Kiba stammered, "W-we were just..."

"I know she's a girl," he intercepted in a monotone drawl. He sounded like he couldn't care, more or less. I nearly felt thankful for the crap he just didn't give.

"So you'll keep it a secret?" Neji asked uncertainly. Akira noticed that they were all standing in front of her, as if guarding her. Rolling her eyes, Akira lifted her legs back into the room and pushed past them to stand in front of Gaara. Whether he kept his mouth shut or not was a big deal, and not something she could just eavesdrop on from the window.

"Are you going to tell anyone?" she clarified, voice confident and unwavering. A hint of surprise showed up on Gaara's features before the corners of his mouth lifted in a lopsided leer.

"Do you want me to?" he teased friskily. She successfully held back the heat from rising to her cheeks, but only because she was much more concerned with whether or not all efforts so far would be to waste. She didn't even know if she was on the team yet, and she hadn't played a single game of _hardcore _soccer. Of all times to succumb to his playing, it was _not now._

"No!" she growled with the most assertive tone she could muster.

"Then I won't," he said simply, and turned back to his business. She stifled a sigh of relief, earnest not to show weakness.

"By the way," Gaara continued, "you made it on the team."

Both my eyebrows went up in genuine shock as her jaw unhinged as well. "Wh-_what?"_

"You made the team," he repeated. "We all did."

By 'all', he obviously meant the rest of the guys in the room. She whipped around to look at them, a wide grin unable to be kept off her face. Their faces were nonchalant, and not even half as shocked as she was. It confused her for a second, until the reasoning part of her brain told her that they weren't nonchalant because they weren't glad.

"You guys must have been on the senior team last year," she said and they all shrugged, meaning that it was a yes. "Well, it's a big deal for me! I can't believe it! I made the team! The senior team!"

"What? You thought you wouldn't get on?" Neji asked jokingly, and I couldn't help but laugh. I was giddy, and full of energy! I had beaten the rest of the guys and made it! Out of the forty of so guys who had tried out in both grade eleven and twelve, I had _at least _been in the top 15!

"Well... oh, nevermind! I'll celebrate later! I have to get going," she blurted, rushing to the window sill again, almost running right out of it because she was so distracted. Pulling one foot out, she looked back at her roommates.

"Now you _all _know that I'm a girl," she started, sighing. She reached for the rope on her nightstand and started wrapping it around her hands a few times. "I don't know how to show my appreciation for everything you guys have done for me up to this point, especially when it came to keeping my secret."

With a bold gaze, she made eye contact each individual as she said their name. "Thank you, Shikamaru. Thank you, Kiba. Thank you, Sasuke. Thank you, Neji, and thank you, Gaara... I'll see you all at the dance."

With both feet dangling out the window, she launched forward, catching a tree branch with her rope as she landed on the trunk with her feet. As if wall climbing, she began lowering herself a few steps, and then hoisting herself up and over the school's gate.

"She's good," Kiba remarked, still slightly speechless.

"She's_ real_ good," they stated in unison, watching as her feet landed soundlessly on the ground. She bolted off in the direction of her school.

**-X- The Girls' School –X-**

"I haven't seen Akira lately..." Sakura commented as she combed out her long pink hair, smiling and posing occasionally in the mirror.

"Yeah... This is so great! I mean, it's awesome how we already had a dance just two weeks ago, but this time, everyone's _required _to come! That means Sasuke-kun will come and see my outfit!" Ino twittered, trying to find a way for her bangs to sit the way she wanted them too.

A second later they both heard a crash, and a "MOTHER FRICKIN APPLE CIDER!". They screamed, clutching each other's hands in fright.

Until Akira climbed over the washroom window, cursing out loud as she hit the floor headfirst.

**–X- Dorm's Public Washroom –X-**

"SH*T! I thought I removed that stupid- Oh, Pin-... S-Sakura and Ino," I grinned sheepishly from the floor, getting up.

"AKI!" they shrieked in unison, making my ears give me the middle finger. I had suddenly gained a whole new respect for the tenors and baritones of my 'other' room...

"You scared us!" Ino said, leaning on a washroom sink to catch her breath.

"Mneh," I shrugged.

"Where have you _been?"_

I froze."...AP classes."

"...Oh." _Not the sharpest tools in the shed, by far._

"Wait, why did you climb through the window, then?"

"Err..."

"OH!" Temari suddenly entered the room, hearing the question. I gave her a pleading look, and she stammered for an excuse.

"Aki... went to get a soccer ball I kicked too far into the bushes and I dared her to climb up!" Temari grumbled, making up a random excuse that made _no sense _whatsoever. Blondie and Pinkie, however, didn't notice much.

"Whatever," Sakura shrugged. "I need to get working on my hair and make-up anyway. Sasuke-kun _has _to notice me this time!"

"It's gonna take a lot more than hair and a sequin dress to impress him," I muttered under my breath.

"Akira-chan, Akira-chan!" Hinata said. Whoa. I didn't even notice that Hinata and Tenten were there!

"YO! IT'S AKIRAAA!" Tenten gave me a high-five.

"Why are you guys acting like she was gone for a long time? She was just in AP classes," Ino inquired, rolling her eyes like it was the most immature behavior.

"We haven't seen her in a while," Tenten mended. "After all, she's the only one taking AP classes in our dorm."

"Oh. Right."

"Akira-chan," Hinata said, handing me a bag with some brand on it. "We bought y-you something for the dance!"

"..."

"A-Akira-chan, you h-have to go this time," Hinata scolded, making me bite my lip. It wasn't often when Hinata asked for anything, and when she did, boy did she mean it.

Tenten pointed upwards as I glimpsed over at the washroom exit. "Yeah, Big Lady's Orders. You can't mess with those big things strapped to her che-"

Before Tenten could finish, Temari bolted to the door and slammed it shut, locking it from the inside. She could read my mind. "I don't think so."

"Dammit!" I hissed. "Well, only if you catch me!" I made a dive for the window, until Tenten grabbed me by the collar.

Temari gave Ino and Sakura a wave. "We're going to be a while! I suggest you take anything of value outside of this washroom."

Sakura and Ino automatically understood and gathered their make-up bags and belongings. Then, they walked out as Tenten shut the door, locking it.

"Alright. Hold her still, Tema-chan, and Hina-chan and I will dress her," Tenten instructed. Temari did as told.

"Unholy hell..." I whimpered.

Tenten snorted. "You've got _that _right!"

**-X-**

**"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"**

From outside the washroom in their own rooms, Sakura and Ino exchanged a meaningful glance.

"Akira," they acknowledged simultaneously, and then turned back to their compact individual mirrors.

**-X-**

MEHA. Acshion's coming. Just need to build a bond between your roommates and you first. Time will tell, time will tell.

IT WILL, OK? I'M JUST SLOW. BUT I'LL FRICKING TELL.

**If you've got some time on your hands, review?**


	6. Eternal Dance, Eternal Chase ::06::

The very last filler chapter, and then the action starts. ARE YOU EXCITED! ADSFKAMSLDKFM. I AM.

**-X-**

"OH MY GOD! You look... you look-!" Sakura and Ino squealed. I stepped out, a scowl plastered on my face. I was, at least, happy that it was a plain black dress. Anything else, and I would've thrown it out the window before I even wore it, too repulsed to keep it in my sights. I don't have problems with dresses in general, or when people wear them; I have a problem when the dress is on _me. _And when people act like I actually presentable in it.

"Whoa! Who would've thought we'd find such a babe underneath all that tomboy?" Tenten taunted, tugging on my hair playfully as I swiped her hand away, frowning.

"Aw, cheer up, Akira," Temari intercepted, finally finishing my hair up with a crab clip to hold it in place. She let some strands dangle out for style, I could see from the 'every angle' mirror, and I mentally slapped myself as I thought: Hey: Temari's pretty good with doing hair- WAIT, I AM NOT SUPPOSED TO BE COMPLIMENTING MY FRIENDS RIGHT NOW.

Temari laughed when she caught my sudden changes in expression, courtesy of y thought process. "Aki, don't be such a joykill-"

"EEEYAH!" Sakura suddenly shrieked, "It's already time for the dance!"

I glanced at my wrist and lo and behold: there was a black watch turning Eight.

"You're taking that off, right?" Temari piped in.

"My dress? Sure! If you say so, Temar-" I began stripping not caring that it was in front of everyone, until Tenten, being quick witted, tugged the dress down, sending me a cold hearted frown.

"You're _wearing it_, Aki!" she warned. I scowled, awkwardly patting the fabric down so that it wasn't riding up my butt and making it any shorter than it already was.

"I meant your watch. It doesn't go with the dress," Temari correcting, grinning.

"Oh. Meh, I'll take it off later," I waved it off, as they nodded in consent. My greedy heart wondered what else I could get away with.

"...I'll... be in the bathroom for a second-"

"**OH NO YOU DON'T!** GET BACK HERE, YOU LITTLE SNEAK!" Tenten dug her finger into bare shoulders as I nearly cried from the fear of turning around to see her devilish face.

"A-Akira-chan.. y-you really _do _l-l-look n-nice!" Hinata sputtered, giving me a reassuring smile. I sighed.

"Well, we should get going," Sakura remarked, checking her appearance one last time in a mirror before heading out the door.

"Yeah yeah, I'll catch up with you guys in a minute," I muttered, sitting down to take off my watch. Tenten and Temari gave me ruthless glances that said 'if you're not down there in 15 minutes, we will not only rat you out, but we will gauge out your eyes and make you walk around with hollow sockets!', before they all stalked out.

It was amazing how much their eyes could say, truly.

Ino tagged behind though, giving me a wink. She whispered, "I left a pair of scissors for you on my dresser. I know you're going to make mods to that dress. You look nice in it, but I think a personal touch will add more spice."

"...Th-thank, Ino..." I thanked awkwardly. I was too stunned to say anymore: When did Ino get so cool?

"No problem! See ya, Akira!" With that said, the blonde closed the door and left me alone to my modifications.

**-X- At the Dance –X- **

None of the five boys voiced it out, but they each had it on their minds:

_What is Akira going to look like in a dress?_

Termari looked around, trying to find Akira. Akira looked down on her outfit, praying that it atleast looked presentable.

_Wait, why do I care again? _She shook the thought from her mind.

The black dress wasn't very tight, but it still hugged her curves until her hip, wear the fabric was looser and thinner, allowing Akira to twist around and have the dress fly around her. It had ended a bit lower than her knees in an even line, where as she took the scissors and instantly started on _slicing that baby_, slanting it and changing the lengths for an unleveled, jagged effect. Her previously medium length sleeves were now chopped to short stubs. Her collar area, which rested maturely on the sides of her upper arm, displayed her broad shoulders, which Akira couldn't do anything about. She wasn't about to cut them even shorter and expose more than what was already too late to save.

"Akira! You changed it!" Temari exclaimed when she finally found her. Akira grinned nervously, hoping that Temari wouldn't kill her-

"I think it looks better, actually," she chuckled, patting Akira on the back. Akira let out a relieved sigh. _I LIIIIVE!_

"Well, she's wearing the dress atleast," Ino and Sakura came over, with glasses of punch. "OHMYGOSHIT'SSASUKE!"

Upon the simultaneous outburst, they pointed in the same direction, and then glared at each other, lightning transmitted through their gazes.

"PIG, HE'LL NEVER LIKE YOU!"

"SHUT UP, BILLBOARD! YOU THINK YOU HAVE A CHANCE?" They stalked off in the direction of Sasuke before another insult was heard.

"G-Gaara?" Temari sputtered, causing Akira to turn around hesitantly. Just like Temari had ackowledged, Gaara stood behind her, dressed in a black tuxedo with a black dress shirt and red tie.

Akira cleared her throat, trying desperately to distract herself with the tiles of the ceiling (instead of how absolutely delicious he looked). How interesting~

"Y-You guys know each other?" Akira blurted stupidly.

"We're _siblings, _Akira," Gaara spat, wondering why he even bothered to answer as he approached the two girls.

"Uhh... Do _you _guys know each other?" Temari questioned when she heard Gaara say Akira's name - and without honorifics? Such familiarity!

"He's... my... roommate," Akira flinched when Temari's jaw dropped, seeing the emotion change in her eyes.

"You guys-! LIVE WITH EACH OTHER? GAARA DON'T TELL YOU'VE LOST YOUR VIR-"

Gaara sent Temari a cold glare, daring her another word as Temari gulped. "If I _did _'sleep' with her, it wouldn't be in our room. There are 4 other guys."

Temari gawked at Akira, as she searched her mind for a logical excuse. "...T-Technically, I'm a _guy _in their school, so uuh... I'm safe! Don't worry, Tema-chan!"

_And stop staring at me like a have a huge, bulbous pimple on my forehead. _She gulped, hoping Temari wouldn't decide to pull her back then and there and call the entire thing off.

"...Who are the other guys?"

"You don't need to know that," Gaara brushed Temari off as Akira raised her eyebrows at such 'distanced' behavior between siblings. Gaara directed his gaze at Akira. "The others want to see what you look like."

"What?" Akira frowned. "See what I... _Gosh,_ I'm not a circus animal, Gaara..."

"No. You look much better than a circus animal," he replied with a smirk, making Akira blushed. Temari dropped her jaw, as a grin began making its way on her face. Did Gaara just... _make a joke and flirt?_

"Well... Uhh... I'll catch up with you later, Aki-chan. I've got to tell Tenten about everything!" Temari chimed, walking backwards to leave Akira alone with Gaara.

"EH! YOU'RE LEAVING ME- Wha-!" Akira began, only to find Gaara pulling her by the wrist in the direction of the guys. "TEMA-CHAN, **I'LL GET YOU**!"

_This is a miracle,_ Temari pondered, plodding away to the snacks table to find Tenten. _My little brother... does he have a crush on Akira?_

**-X-**

"You guys," Gaara said, causing Shikamaru, Kiba, Sasuke and Neji to all glance up and turn around to face the voice.

"Didja find-"

"Where's Ak-"

"...Hn."

"..."

Everyone froze.

"Although I find this insulting, I should really bring a camera next time to take a picture..." Akira whispered as Gaara overheard and smirked. She glanced back at the guys, wanting to ruffle her hair in annoyance, but it would ruin the effort Temari put into it. "_Helloo? _Earth to Neji-kun! Kiba-kun! Shika-kun! Sasuke-san!"

"Eh? Hey, Akira, why is Sasuke the only one with '-san'?" Kiba asked, annoyance evident in his tone. The remaining two seemed as curious, while Sasuke looked rather smug.

"Huh? Oh... Um. Because I didn't want to call him Sasuke-kun like all his fangirl, so I gue—"

"FOUND HIM!" _What the-_

"HE'S THERE!" _Ino?_

"SASUKE-KUN!" Sakura screamed, dashing at Sasuke like mad as he suddenly jolted stiff, moving to the left just in time as Sakura zoomed past him, halted, and then swung around again.

"You should run," Akira carelessly advised, watching as Sasuke stood there bewildered that he would have to run in a tux. Without another word, he hurtled off, away from his pack of rabid fan girls, growing in size by the second.

"Shika! You look so different!" Akira leered. The rest of the guys were also in black tuxedoes, with white or black dress-shirts inside, and different colored ties. It was almost as if they planned out to all be wearing something different, yet similar...

"It's so troublesome," he said, a blush slowly rising to his cheek. "I don't see why I have to come to this troublesome event..."

"This really does suck. The only good thing about this is that I get to see Akira-chan in a dre-" Kiba was cut short by Neji pushing him off the table with his foot. Akira's eyes shot up, as did her eyebrows. She hadn't really caught what Kiba had said, but... Where did _that _come from?

"DAMN HYUUGA! WANNA FIGHT?" Kiba barked from the floor, crawling back up.

"Like you could, Inuzuka," Neji scoffed. It was then that Akira realized her surroundings: Gaara was to her left, with Shikamaru to the right. Kiba was in a heap at her feet, trying to get up from Neji pushing him off, and Neji was standing diagonal from her, shouting down at Kiba. It was funny how they arranged themselves in a semi-circle around her, but she coudn't help but back away slowly and take a seat on the chair behind her. Sasuke had just arrived, panting as he slumped down.

"For a... girl... she sure can... run fast," he muttered, closing his eyes as he titled his head back and...

Leaned on Akira's lap by accident.

_ZZT. _All eyes snapped over to Sasuke, who was currently frozen, his eyes wide from realization.

One second passed.

Two seconds passed.

Three-

"Sasuke-san, please get your head off my lap," Akira muttered, feeling a bit embarrassed, but understanding since he was tired, whereas Kiba immediately shoved him off. Neji glared at Sasuke, while Shikamaru gave his key 'Troublesome' speech. Gaara merely glared as well.

"OOOkay," Akira blinked at the five guys in confusion. "Since you guys are a bunch of little freaks today, I'm gonna go hang with Te- CRAP!"

All it took was an ice-cube strategically place by some idiot, and Akira's inexperience in wearing flats to slip and pitch backwards, falling fast towards the gym floor. The guys all shouted her name simultaneously, diving for her. Shikamaru, being the closest to her in distance, grasped onto her hand and pulled her forward with a _bit too much strength_, sending her flying in the opposite direction and towards him.

In seconds, Akira's face was buried against Shikamaru's lean torso, with her arms folded tightly against her own chest. His arms were wrapped protectively around her firmly, securing her from any danger. She could hear his heartbeat picking up in rhythm, until the sound was thundering in her ears and the temperature in her own cheeks began to flare up. Akira gulped, the words slowly finding their way to her mouth.

"Th-thanks, Shika," she muttered, her voice not sounding like her own, "you can let go now..."

It was like her words triggered a switch in Shikamaru's brain, and his arms flew to his sides instantly, desperate to get away from her. She pursed her lips and stepped back, unable to look at him in the eyes.

And now, the boys were all glowering at Shikamaru.

"I don't know what's with you guys all today... You guys seem so distant, and weird! Is it because of the-" Akira squeezed her dress in anger, gripping the ripped edges tightly, and then she let go, glaring furiously at them.

"Whatever. I wasn't hoping to impress you guys, anyway," she hissed. Clueless that the guys had heard her, she stalking off.

"But-"

"No!"

"..."

"This is so trouble-"

"We didn't mean to-"

They gave up upon knowing that Akira wouldn't turn around to come back. Her back faced them as she trudged away, emotions swelling up in her chest that felt so foreign...

**-X-**

Immediately, Tenten leapt into view, arms wide as to not let me pass. "Akira!"

"Tenten!" I rejoiced when I saw her, giving her a big bear hug. I heard her squeak and let loose a bit, an apologetic smile on my lips. "Sorry! I just really needed a hug... What's up?"

"Temari told me! About... you rooming with... _them," _Tenten signaled to the group of guys behind me as I scoffed. My rolling of eyes instantly stopped when I noticed a shy Tenten with a blush making its way across her cheeks.

"You never told me that you roomed with guys! What are you doing, getting all cozy with them?" Tenten poked my collarbone playfully as I laughed with her.

"But.. Mmm..." Tenten began blushing again, as I quirked an eyebrow. "I'd like to ask a favor, Aki-chan."

"A favor?" I raised a brow. "OKay, don't tell me: you wanna transfer over, too, so that you can room with hot, sweaty guys? I'm sure you'd be able to appreciate it more than I can...

The blush making its way on Tenten's face grew into an even deeper shade of red, and I flushed. "I'm not calling you slut, mother cripplin' apple cider! I'm so sorry! I meant, like... I'm really obsessed with soccer, so I don't have as much time to appreciate-"

"It's not that, Aki-chan!" she blurted, eyes squeezed tightly together. I raised a black eyebrow, confused. She bit her lip, and a look of humiliation flashed across her features. "I don't want.. hot, sweaty _guys... _Just one is fine..."

My jaw unhinged as I finally understood her meaning. "Wait... are you trying to say...?"

"Please, Aki," she clapped her hands together in a beg, "Please set me up with Neji!"

_"EEEEHHH?"_

**-X-**

I was able to sneak out earlier than the end of the dance and change into a normal T-shirt and Sweats, taking off the make-up forced on me and the pins and decorations in my hair. I handed the bag with all my items in them to Hinata, thanking her again for helping me buy the dress. After a session of girly goodbyes, reassurances, and promises, I followed the swarm of boys back to Boys' school, unable to identify my roommates. I caught myself before I started searching too hard: I was still mad at them! Sure, it might be an irrational kind of mad... but seeing each other after all that awkwardness probably wasn't such a good a idea...

I sighed, trudging back to the room first, and landing on my bed. Sure enough, I was the first one to arrive. I didn't brush my teeth, but I figured that it was alright for one night, especially since I hadn't drank any punch of sweetened liquids. In fact, I hadn't even gotten anywhere near the snack tables. It wouldn't hurt. I didn't want to get up, anyway. Several minutes later, the doors opened, but the room stayed silent. Shuffling and the sound of changing distracted me from sleeping. I could hear them going into the washroom and brushing their teeth, and whatnot. It was rather late; 10:30pm, and curfew was in half an hour or so.

"Akira-chan..." rang the voice of Kiba. "Are you mad at us?"

I gulped, not knowing how to answer. I stayed still, wondering if I could fool them into thinking I was already asleep.

"We're sorry for how we acted. I'm sure you thought that ... we didn't like you, or the way you looked or somethin'..." he went on, seeming to ignore my unresponsiveness. I listened intently, solemn with my emotions.

"It wasn't like that, seriously. It's just that... seeing you like that... it made me... lose my mind, you know what I mean?" I nestled my face into the covers, ears still exposed. The room was eerily quiet, as if everyone was listening to Kiba's words... or how I would respond to them.

"No," I spoke into my covers, "I don't know what you mean, but I don't care, either."

_Lies._

"Akira," it was Gaara's voice this time, "he's trying to tell you that you were beautiful tonight."

I opened my eyes, bracing myself to deny his words and disbelieve him.

But it was Gaara: the guy who was painfully blunt, harsh, and uncaring with his words. He wouldn't have to think twice before telling me like it is, or making me face the ugly truth.

What reason would he have to lie to me about something like that?

"I don't need you to tell me that just to make me feel better. I'd rather have you tell me how you _actually _feel than lie to my face like that," I answered. Sure, I wasn't the most confident person in terms of outer appearance, but I sure as heck wasn't someone who fished for compliments. I didn't complain about the way I looked to anyone, despite me having insecurities. Once in a while, a small joke where someone compliments me and I snort and deny it, but I had more dignity that that; I don't need to be told that I'm pretty to feel good about myself.

"Don't make me repeat it." I smirked. Now _that _was the 'Gaara-like' response I was accustomed to.

"We're not saying it to make you feel better," Sasuke clarified. I could almost feel his onyx eyes boring into the back of my head. "You looked... great."

"What?" I blurted before I could stop myself. Wait. _Did I hear that right? Did... Sasuke just compliment me?_

"What are you talking about, Uchiha?" came Neji's voice, making me tense. He was going to scoff, and tell me just exactly how horrible he thought I- "She looked amazing."

There was absolutely no way for me to stop the blood from boiling in my face. I was as red as a tomato, and I could feel my head throbbing from the amount of embarrassment I felt.

"Ch," I sputtered, "I-I... I'm not mad at you guys for not telling me that I looked nice today, g-geez! I'm not that shallow!"

Swallowing a wad of saliva, I sighed. "I'm tired..."

"Yeah, we should go to bed," Kiba admitted. I heard shuffling around the room again, unaware of what they were doing.

Several seconds passed, and I finally gathered up the courage to turn around in my sheets, facing the center of the room. The lights were still on, and I could make out everyone's eyes on me. I had never felt more special.

"I'm sorry for being such a bitch about this... and I hope you guys believe me when I say I'm not angry anymore, and I had no right to be," I whispered, careful not to talk too loudly as to disrupt them too much. "Thank you. No hard feelings, okay? Goodnight."

A few silent seconds went on before the chorus of 'goodnight's came back to me. I grinned briefly into my pillow, mood uplifted.

"Akira?" I opened my eyes.

"Yeah, Shika?" He stood in front of the light switch, finger ready to flick the tiny lever. He was the only one who hadn't said anything the entire time since we got back.

"If anyone ever dares to tell you that you're ugly," he illuminated, "tell them that they'll have to answer to _us."_

The guys all reacted with chuckles and snickers, whereas Kiba even shouted, "Agreed!"

I laughed, the sound filling the room. Curling myself in my sheets, I grinned at all of them.

"You guys are all awesome. Thank you," I said softly. "Goodnight, guys."

With a smirk, Shikamaru whisked the room into darkness.

-x-

**End Chapter.**


	7. Shower Intrusion! ::07::

YEHHH. THE ACTION STARTS NOW!

Progression might be slow, but eventually I think it will pick up a bit. Take into consideration that this IS a lighthearted comedy, so even the plotline won't be heart-stopping and seat gripping. Let's not get our hopes up THAT high. This is no epic journey you're in for ^^'

**-X-**

Kiba growled. "Akira-chaaaaan! Get up! You've only got like ten more minutes!"

The continuous loud shouting of my name made me groan and only resolve to ignore them further. I snuggled deeper into my sheets, relishing the warmth of my bed. "Okay, okay!"

"Akira, get up. We have school today. Oi, Akira!" I growled lowly, yanking whoever-it-was-talking's shirt, pulling them down to face level.

"I. AM. TIRED. I. AM. _SLEEPING!_" I barked, eyes narrowing to a not-so-pretty extent. Shikamaru swallowed, extracting his T-shirt from my iron death-grip as he turned to the other four boys. I fell back onto the bed and gathered the sheets even closer.

"Well?"

"You're being too gentle with her," I heard Gaara mutter, reaching out for my wrist. Grasping it tightly, he yanked me up, making me yelp and cling tightly to him. "Get up. We're not all going to be late just because you don't feel like getting up."

I frowned, and then pulled away from Gaara. Still half asleep, I muttered, "I guess you're right. Though you could've been a little nicer about it."

"We tried 'nice'," Gaara replied dryly, gesturing to Shikamaru and Kibda. "It doesn't go well with you."

Neji and Sasuke both grinned, agreeing completely. I muttered curses that I was sure was incoherent to them. Yanking the washroom door open, I entered with a loud 'bam!' following suit.

"...Maybe you went over the top a little, Sabaku," Shikamaru advised lowly, eyes fixated on the bathroom door.

"Nah," Gaara muttered. "With girls like her, you need to be mean."

"Girls like her? As in you've dealt with someone like Akira before?" Sasuke remarked, onyx eyes flaring with disbelief.

"Let me guess," Neji inputted. "You're talking about your sister, Temari."

Kiba let out a loud snort, as Gaara nodded. "You don't even know the half of it."

**-X-**

Akira wiped away some sweat from her forehead after the warm-up game, grinning happily. Boy, did she love soccer. While other girls might find joy in being with a boyfriend on a weekend, indulging in sweets, or dressing up to go someplace, she'd rather kick a ball back forth between a wall all day and work on her drills.**  
**

Standing on the artificial turf next to rest of the 12s made her heart pound. This was the Senior team. These were the best of the best in the school, taken that there wasn't some prodigy soccer player in a lower grade; but they were the oldest of all them, anyways, and Akira knew from experience that these guys were not just a few dudes who could kick a ball decently. Very different than the girls team, Anko and Gai hadn't taken the time to 'generously' offer more positions. While a team mainly consisted of 11 members, really, High School teams usually gave more students the opportunity to play, reaching up to 20 or more players. However, the team consisted of only 15 members, just four more than the minimum.

Right off the bat, she could tell who the 'beast' players were: in other words, these were the guys who Akira already knew would've gotten on the senior team without checking the list.

There was a friendly, hot-blooded guy name Murakami Shou. What struck Akira about him was that he was japanese, but he had dyed his hair a hazel green. On anyone else, it would've looked strangely unnatural and fake, but he seemed to pull it off flawlessly, with his carefree and loud laughter. He got along with the rest of her roommates really well, so she has guessed that he had also been on the team last year and they already knew each other. From what she knew about him, he played defence last year, and probably would this year too, and his strength was stealing balls (haha), passing, and just general ball handling (HAHA- okay. I'll stop it.). In the game they had just played, Shou posed the most effort for her to avoid. She wouldn't call herself a weak player, but Shou managed to steal the ball away away from her several times, as well as obstruct many of her passes, out of nowhere. She found herself laughing at his silly antics, diving and shoving himself in the ball's path to steal it. He was going to be a great Defensive Midfielder.

His best friend, Miyamoto Hikari, was a strikingly handsome guy with long black hair with brown streaks. His hair was layered from the top of his head to the middle of his neck, where the strands became even-lengthen and long. He was one of those guys who could pull off the long hair without it looking disgusting or feminine, reminding Akira of Neji. She didn't know much about him yet, but he seemed to contrast with Shou with the fact that he barely talked as much as his best friend did. He was assigned Winger - an outside forward, which fit him very well, since this was usually the fastest and best dribblers player on the team, responsible for providing teammates with accurate passes so they could shoot at the goal. Hikari was strikingly fast, with 100 meter dash times at the 12 second mark. Needless to say, Akira had a immense amount of respect for him: he could probably dribble a soccer ball to class and still make it to class faster than someone who was running in the halls.

The third that she knew of so far was a cute foreigner, with blonde hair and blue eyes, much like that Naruto kid she saw met the other day. His hair was much longer, and his eyes a different kind of blue, as they were more dull and greyish. He always had a serene look or calmness on his face, as if he was always deep in thought or having a revelation... She didn't know his name yet, because he apparently wasn't on the team any of the years before. Still, despite his appearance, as Gai was reading out the assigned positions given, he was given 'Left Winger'.

The rest of her roommates were assigned the following:

Sasuke was given Central Midfielder, most responsible for creating opportunities for the offense players. He was very responsible for the play in the center of the field, immensely ticking off Neji and many of the guys in her room. Akira simply chuckled, too giddy and anticipating of what she would be assigned...

Neji's name was the next one she recognized, and he was given Central Defender, the player who guards the area directly in front of the goal, also known as the team's strongest defence player. She gave Neji a grin, and he smirked back at her faintly.

Kiba and Gaara came next, right after one another. Kiba was assigned Attacking Midfielder. Him and Sasuke exchanged a glance at each other, and being in between the feud, she could feel the competition brewing. She laughed, blocking both of their eyes with her hands, and they smirked, knocking her hands away.

Gaara was given Stopper, in charge of defending the best scorer or attacker on the opposing team. Akira thought this fit ironically well. If a guy like Gaara were guarding her on the other team, she'd feel intimidated, too. How could you _not?_

Shikamaru was rewarded with the responsibility of goalkeeper, and Akira slapped him hard on the back, making him flinch, but smirk at the same time. He muttered a mere, "Troublesome..." but Akira could tell how satisfied he was with his assigned position.

"Maybe I should have double-checked the team list," Akira muttered, earning the gaze of her roommies. The list wasn't arranged in any order whatsoever, and she had no idea when her name would come up. She found it cynical how she was probably the most anticipating and nervous of all her roommates, and yet her name was the very last to be called out of all of them!

"Hayashi Akira," Gai announced. Akira sucked in her breath, praying that she wouldn't be given a defensive posi-

"Striker, occasional Midfielder."

"_YESSS!" s_he blurted, leaping up into the air and pumping a fist up.

"Hayashi Akira, your youthfulness inspires me!" Gai praised truthfully and Akira replied with a cheeky grin, slowly lowering her hand as the rest of her teammates stared at her in confusion. Except for 5 guys, who had smirks on their lips, and chuckled at her excitement, finding it to be contagious.

"You guys... are the best of the school: the senior team of the Konoha's Youthful Male Academy! Anko and I would usually be your coach together..." he continued dramatically, making sure to pose periodically and make Akira gag. "But I must fulfill my dream of becoming a Vice principal!"

Akira wiped off her sweat with a towel as a few guys gathered to listen and say goodbye to Gai–sensei. She was leaping up and down, still overjoyed. Central Forward! _The STRIKER!_ That was the team's best scoring player! She had been assigned the exact same position back at her old school, but... but she knew that the players on this team weren't to be messed around with. They were talented, and much more skilled with the soccer ball than any of her teammates had been. Yet, she had been assigned the vital scoring threat from their team, _as well as Midfielder_! _Yes! YES!_ She dashed off, running until her legs burned with as much pain as she was ecstatic.

"GREAT JOB, MY WONDROUS, YOUTHFUL STUDENTS!" Gai cheered. "Now, please go take your showers!"

Shikamaru bristled lightly. "Akira, are you-?"

He turned around, eyes scoping the turf. Akira was nowhere to be seen.

**-X- An Hour Later –X-**

"Oh, man, fiiinally!" Akira chirped quietly, watching the last of the guys filter out of the showers. "Though I do question my sanity for doing this..."

Making sure the coast was clear; she hefted her gym bag onto her shoulder and tip-toed to the showers. To her utter relief, it was completely empty, just as she had predicted. Stopping in her tracks, she looked down at the floor where there was a bunch of hair shavings.

"...Ew."

She avoided the nasty display of revolt as she walked toward the benches. She halted upon spotting the next level up of horrific sights: A few large toenail clippings sitting atop a dirty shirt on the floor.

"... _Eww."_

_I think I feel something coming up... _Akira clamped two hands over her mouth for good measure and hauled her bag down on a bench so that she could strip, listening intently for sounds of guys. She had locked the front door just incase, but the backdoor wasn't one that could be locked from the inside. Standing in nude with a towel wrapped around herself, she walked over to the showers.

And then she saw it: A few small puddles of thick white liquid.

_That... better not be what I THINK it is... _She gulped. There were a few long hairs floating in it, and the liquid looked clumpy and smelled absolutely _acrid_, resembling expired milk.

"...OH FLIP, THAT'S _**NASTY**_**!" **Letting out a sound close to a squeal, she darted to the shower heads and hung her towel on a hook. Turning the knob frantic ally to indulge in hot water bliss, Akira moaned. A silly grin spread onto her lips as she sighed thankfully.

"This feels waaay too good..." she breathed, shampooing up her hair and cleaning off her body. After several minutes, she had rinsed her hair of shampoo. She considered the possibility of conditioner, but concluded that the shorter amount of time she spent exposed like that, the better. Just was she was about to reach for the nob, cold water blasted out of the shower head and Akira screamed in alarm, jumping away.

"Holy cripplin'- what the hell was _that?_" she whispered harshly. She cautiously put a hand back in, but the water remained cold. Did they turn off the hot water _already? _She reached out and managed to avoid the cold water while turning the knob tightly to stop the stream of water. She reached for her towel and began to dry herself off, goosebumps appearing on her skin. The sound of the front door knob jiggling made her glance up in alarm.

_Wh-what? No one's supposed to be here! _She stared at the knob the entire time it shook, until the person on the other side gave up and left. She sighed, congratulating herself for being smart enough to lock it. Still, she hurried to put on her clothes. Akira had her pants on, and had just finished tying down her chest straps when she heard the back door swing open.

_SH*T! _She cursed in her mind, eyes widening in distress. She poked her head out of her T-shirt and got her arms through the sleeves just as a woman poked her head around the side of the locker.

"Huh?"

_Sh*t. _Akira knew her. She was Mitarashi Anko: head of the PE department, and also the main coach for the boys' soccer team (Gai was only an assistant). Due to her extreme laziness, she hadn't shown up for the tryouts, _or _the practice, so Akira had never really seen her up close, but there was no way to mistake that violet, spiky pony-tail for anyone else.

"Oh, sorry, maggot! Turning off the hot water shower valve, but somebody was still showering and screamed from the cold water! Guess that was you, huh?" she smirked, and eyed Akira up and down, making Akira stand on her toes.

"Er... yeah. Something came up, so I could only shower now, and..." Akira inched her way to the door, circling around the suspicious dark haired woman. Anko's eyes followed Akira's form to the door, and then she noticed bandages hanging out. "Uh... I'll just be going, Coach Anko..."

"Hey, twerp, are ya injured?" she called after Akira, who had already disappeared around the door. Anko scoffed and shrugged, suddenly catching sight of the puddle of white liquid, filled with mysterious black hairs.

"Boys," she grumbled, walking out the backdoor to lock it from the outside.

**-X- In the Dorm hallways –X-**

"_That," _Akira breathed, her back against the wall, "was close."

"What was?" She whirled around towards the monotonous voice in surprise, to find Gaara in a Red T-shirt. After clearing her throat, she laughed nervously.

"Nothing..." Hurrying back into the room, she held the door open for Gaara. When the two entered, the boys in the room glanced at them, aware of the time.

"What took you so long?" Sasuke interrogated. She hopped onto her bunk, placing her dirty clothes in her laundry basket, making sure to not reveal any underwear exposure.

"Showering."

"This late?"

"Would you rather me shower with the rest of you sweaty pigs, then?" she retorted, giving him a smirk, unknowing of how flustered the very thought made her roommates. He coughed and muttered an inaudible 'that's... not what I mean...' but went back to whatever he was doing.

"What?" Akira asked, suddenly aware of Sasuke, Kiba and Shikamaru all watching her strangely. Neji was in the room's bathroom doing whatever, while Gaara merely rested on his bed with his eyes closed.

_"What?" _she repeated after no reply.

"Your bandages are loose, that's what," Kiba stated plainly. Sasuke and Shikamaru rolled their eyes when Akira looked down and scrambled to hide them into her shirt.

"Someone better not have seen that," Sasuke said, perhaps a bit too angrily than he had wanted. Akira's eyes widened. Had Anko seen it? Or did it fall out after she had left?

_Even... Even if she had seen them, someone like bandages doesn't automatically label me a girl... _She gulped, nodding to herself in thought. _That's right. I'm not exposed YET... right?_

Right on cue, Neji came out of the washroom, towel draped over his shoulder and hair wet, wearing a white sleeveless top and long blue Shorts. Akira got up, brushing past him to enter the washroom. A heavy 'click' sound enforced that the door was locked. The quiet rustling of clothes through the door, causing the five boys to embarrassingly avert their gazes from each other.

After all, it was awkward to have a girl changing merely a few meters from them.

**-X-**

I hurtled down the steps to the gym, excitement fueling my every pace. With the amount of tests and assignments starting to pile, I needed to let off some stress and I was excited for the day's practice. Throwing open the double doors, my wide grin faltered and my feet were brought to a staggering halt.

Anko gave me a cheeky grin. She was in a blue Adidas track suit, with a whistle dangling against her chest. "Hey, it's you! Senior Soccer Team, eh?"

I flinched, sucking in an abrupt breath at the sight of her familiar purple, spiky ponytail. Offering a shaky smile, I nodded and walked towards the change rooms. _Don't worry. Even if Anko had seen something, she can't-_

"I saw those bandages of yours danglin' out yesterday, and I'm not stupid. I know what you're hiding, but you're lucky I'm not gonna make you sit out, y'maggot!" I stopped walking, my back turned towards her. I was lucky that her or no one could see the look of horror on my features. "It's your fault for not telling me or Gai. But I'm not letting you back out now. Just because of this secret of yours, doesn't mean I'll go easy on you. Get in there and change, maggie!"

My legs carried me deep into the change room, where no guys had entered yet. I made her way to a washroom stall, closing the door behind her and leaning against it for support.

_Does she know? Her words were too broad.. and she didn't say anything to actually LABEL me a girl, yet, but... what if... _I cursed. Given the possibility that Anko knew I was a girl, would she be so cool about it? At the same time, maybe she was just joking around, and was going to report me soon...

With a sigh, I decided that it was futile to think about it. If she didn't know, then I was thinking too much, and if she DID know... then whether she told or not was not something I could control. I might have gotten lucky with my roommates, but an adult - a _teacher, _no less, was a different matter. I wasn't about to bribe her, and begging her when I wasn't sure if she knew or not wasn't on the top of my priority list...

I began to change into the School's PE strip, throwing my casual clothes into a bag. Coming out of the stall meekly, I secured me belongings in a locker close by the door so I wouldn't have to go deep into the change room to retrieve it afterwords. I had carefully deducted that it would be awfully suspicious to never appear in the change rooms, especially with the rest of the team learning of my existence and presence, so it made sense to be seen 'coming out' at least. I sat down on the bench as guys began piling in, and brought my legs up beside me to tie my shoelaces.

"...Akira?" I glanced up and smirked devilishly at Shikamaru, who was following by both Kiba and Sasuke. Just a few seconds later, Neji entered, with Gaara lagging behind a bit. They all stared at me in confusion.

"Hey," I answered casually, brushing past them. I bit back the baffled looks on their faces. "I'll see you guys outside!"

**-X-**

"Faster!" cackled Anko as the guys (and one girl) lapped around the field, struggling to even out their breathing. Eight laps for a warm up just _sucked._

Shikamaru was jogging leisurely by Akira's side, unable to escape his concern for her. She looked much more pale than usual and it wasn't from the warm-up, was it? They had only ran five laps so far, which was nearly nothing for this sports freak. Was she just having a bad day, or was she on - OH.

"Hey, Shikamaru... I've been think- SHIKA!" Akira stopped running to attend to the pineapple head doubling over. He was clutching his nose desperately, trying to stop the blood from gushing out-

He scowled. That only reminded him of _it _more!

"A-Are you okay?" Akira sputtered, patting his back. "Anko-Sensei! Shikamaru-kun has a nosebleed!"

"What a perverted kid. Having a nosebleed while running laps? Does he find the field sexually arousing or something? Geez..." Anko muttered, giving Akira a quick 'go' gesture, resembling more of a 'shoo'.

Akira nodded, guiding Shikamaru off the track. "Come on, let's get you to the Nurse's-"

"I can go myself, Hayashi." AKira stopped cold in her tracks, watching Shikamaru as he stomped off. She sighed, sending him hopeful thoughts as she began to jog again.

"Eww! There's blood on the track! Who's on their period?" a bunch of guys jested on the running track as they ran past the point where Shikamaru's nose had started to bleed. Shikamaru gulped harder, hopelessly trying to rid his mind of bloody thoughts.

_And I was gonna tell him what was worrying me too..._.She caught her thoughts and blushed, grumbling to herself. _Hey, he's not your therapist, Hayashi! You're leaving in 3 weeks, anyways..._

"You look down," came a voice. Akira glanced up in surprised. She hadn't even noticed Neji jog up beside her.

Obviously his remark wasn't about the direction she just happened to be staring in. She forced out a small smile and nodded. "Yeah... I have some things on my mind..."

"I see." Akira focused on her paces instead of the Hyuuga's presence. Besides, she hadn't really talked to him alone before, and ever since he discovered that she was a girl... he had almost gone out of his way to avoid her. Well, not like she had anything to say to him anyways-

... Ahh.

"So, uh... N-Neji-kun..." she stammered, struggling to find the proper words. He gave a small 'hm?', and she was painfully aware of his lavender orbs focused intently on her.

"I... uhh..." Neji raised a brow as she picked up pace, the light jog increasing into quick, long strides. He furrowed his eyebrows and quickened his pace, too, determined to keep up with her.

"Just say it already, Akira," Neji cut in, amusement dancing in his eyes. It was so unlike her to be flustered...

"Er... actually... I-I have something to uhh... " Again, her paces increased in speed. Neji caught up adequately, but was beginning to feel the strenuous tug of his legs shouting at him. Her eyes were cast down, and her thoughts muddling her surroundings.

"Akira," he said, "you're speeding up."

She gasped, suddenly aware of her labored breathing and rapid steps. Controlling her paces and not wasting energy was something she always pummeled into her morals. She cursed herself for letting go of her control so easily and began to slow down, going back to a light jog. Her breathing was heavily labored at the point of seven laps, and trying to break out into a sprint was something she didn't push herself to do regularly.

"Calm down. You should know better." She blushed, finding her control losing grip once again.

"A-Actually... I-I..." Suddenly, Neji held an arm out in front of her, making Akira yelp. She couldn't help it. Neji wasn't too scary usually, but his piercing lavender eyes were creeping her out! Plus he was using them to glare her down and that seriously didn't make anything better.

"Don't push yourself to strain your breath like that. You're not using your arms to your advantage, and your paces are too short. You're going to tire yourself if you keep doing this." He warned, making Akira blush harder. His eyes softened and his arm lowered.

"It might just be me, Akira, but you awfully awkward around me right now," Neji challenged, causing a red blush to blossom from Akira's cheeks. Her paces struggled to quicken, but she held fast to her control, ignoring the grievous burning of her throat and lungs.

"Uhh... Well, um... There's this thing..."

"Well?" Neji was becoming curious as his prodigy brain added a few things up. He smirked. For Akira being such a calm and collected girl, she was a complete mess when a guy neared her personal space or teased her. A sadistic jerk would have found it strangely... pleasing.

_(So basically, Neji's a sadistic jerk.)_

Akira collected her scrambled thoughts together and blurted in one breath, "You see, I was wondering if you'd be willing to go out with a friend of mine!"

Neji blinked and for the first time in a long while (excluding when he found out Akira was a girl,) surprise etched onto his features. "You mean...?"

"My... f-friend," she sputtered, her loss of breath starting to make her feel a bit woozy. This was just as nerve-wracking as asking him out for herself! Tenten owed her one so badly. "I think she, uh, likes you, and uh..."

"..." Neji frowned. So wait, she was trying to set him up... with her _friend?_

"Look, I know you don't like me or whatever, but please. _Please... _It would really mean a lot to me. And I guarantee that you won't regret it: Tenten's awesome," Akira said as they closed in on their last two hundred meters. She wasn't very good at asking for favors, probably because she had rarely had to do so before entering the Boys' Academy, but she was going out of her way to make her friend happy. As much as Neji appreciated the good intention, he wasn't about to do something he didn't want to without any payment.

"If I go on this date... Would you owe me one?" Akira glanced up at him, staring into his lavender orbs. She broke out in a smile, knowing this meant that he was giving in.

"One favor in exchange for one date with Tenten?" she thought aloud, shrugging as she pumped a fist into the air. "Sounds good!"

He cracked a smile at her energetic behavior, barely tired from the eight laps. She was really _something._

"Sounds good."

After a minute or so where more than half the guys on the team had gather in, Anko cupped her hands over her mouth and shouted, "The five of you! Hurry up!"

The five guys remaining on the track eventually finished their eight laps. Anko began speaking. "For those of you who aren't new to our Konoha High's Soccer Team, there's a certain _place _we go to after the first several weeks of practices: Boot Camp!"

The sweaty, exhausted boys suddenly started smiling widely, high-fiving each other and laughing. Akira raised a brow.

"Boot Camp...?" Akira whispered, solely to her, but Sasuke caught it.

"In the tenth grade, you start go to Soccer Boot Camp, and every year after as long as you're still on the team," he explained. "Improves endurance, and builds teamwork structure and stuff."

Akira nodded comprehensibly. As Anko cackled. "Alrighty, permission forms are outside the office, if ya don't hand 'em, you're not going, and I'm going to whip your ass off the team!"

"Bring it on," Akira breathed, breaking out into a grin.

"Hey, Akira, wanna be in my cabin?" The 'Cute Foreigner', who Akira still failed to know the name of, hung an arm over her shoulders. Being so close, she could make out the musky scent of his deodorant. She nearly blushed when she found the sweat dripping down the side of his face surprisingly stomach churning.

Clearing her throat, she blurted, "Uhh... Sure! We'll see-"

"I call the top bunk off of our Striker!" Hikari shouted as he ran to fetch the soccer balls, flashing Akira brilliant grin.

"WHAT? HEY, THAT'S CHEAP, I WANT A TOP BU-!" As soon as she caught the glare Neji was giving her, she cleared her throat.

"Careful who's in your cabin, Akira." Biting her lip, she nodded and jogged over to the pile of soccer balls, eager to escape his death daggers.

"Overprotective, Hyuuga?" Shou commented offhandedly when Akira was out of hearing range.

"Want to actually _do something_, Shou, you lazy-ass?" Hikari interrupted, tossing a soccer ball at Shou.

"Shaddup, tool," Shou snorted, dribbling the ball onto the turf.

"Overprotective, Hyuuga?" Kiba repeated teasingly, showing he had heard the brief conversation. Neji glowered at him.

"Jealous, Inuzuka?"

"Don't change the topic."

Sasuke observed in silence as the conversations broke out, and the taunts began. The guys on their soccer team were no amateurs when it came to _winning: _these were the same guys who had achieved Gold and Silver standings in the National games. They weren't guys who were easily impressed, but they knew a good soccer player when they saw one.

Akira was the team's Striker. If they hadn't been giving her all their attention before, they surely would now.

"Uchiha!" The Onyx Top nearly let the ball whizz past him before, but managed to have his reflexes kick in and stop the ball at his foot. He glanced up Akira, a cheeky grin on her face. She had seen him zoning out, and gave him a head tilt in place of a silent 'what's wrong?'

He furrowed his eyebrows and shook his head, eyes downcast as he kicked the ball onto the field. She shrugged and dribbled the ball out into the turf, eyes scanning her spread out roommates. Humming, she wondered if they would specially request to share a room with her during the boot camp, just for her sake.

_...Naaah. That'd be kinda creepy._

**-X-**

"I don't need you guys to room with me for Camp!" Akira whimpered for the 4th time. Everyone was in the room, and Shikamaru soon caught up with the Boot Camp news when he got back mid-soccer practice. Immediately he proposed that he room with her, and just how life would have it, the other 5 overheard and decided that is was either 'all of them, or none of them'.

And it sure as heck wasn't going to be the latter.

"I'll be fine: I won't be as unlucky as I was with you guys..." The nonchalant expression on their face made the blood rise in her own. She blurted, "DO YOU WANT THEM THINKING WE'RE HAVING SOME BEST FRIEND PORN GROUP GOING ON BETWEEN THE SIX OF US?"

Gaara didn't even spare her a glance. "You're thinking too much."

"_You _guys are thinking too much; I know everyone on the team just as well as I know you guys, by now! I know who to look out for and stuff... like... that..." They finally responded with a roll of their eyes, or a sarcastic 'oh, really?' look. Her nostrils flared as imaginary steam came out her ears. "Dude, I want to make friends with the other guys too!"

"I thought you came here for the soccer," Neji riposted, "or was I mistaken?"

"I did. But... Ahh, this is so stupid! Just let me have some social freedom?" she grumbled. "You guys are acting like my _parents!"_

"We just don't want you to get kicked out, Akira," Kiba murmured, immaturely outlining circles around his anklebone.

She heaved a sigh and pouted a bit as she pondered. They were right... _Maybe I won't be as lucky next time and if my cover gets blown, I'll have to say goodbye to this school, and probably get kicked out of my own for my actions!_

Growling, she leapt off her bed and landed with her feet on the hardwood floor. "Fine!"

They all glanced over at her, curious as to what she was about to say. "Don't say I didn't try, though! You guys are stuck together even during the one opportunity you have to be free from each other's clutches!" She opened the washroom door and turned around to face everyone. "Oh, and just for revenge, I'm making Neji sleep across from Sasuke during Camp! So that every morning, you get to see HIS face! Gaara is going to have to keep his bloody shirt on at all times, because I don't want to see his abs all up in my face all day. Kiba has to stop calling me Akira-chan," Kiba opened his mouth to protest, but one sharp look from Akira made him fall back and whimper like a puppy, "and Shikamaru... I don't know. I'm pretty sure I piss you off as it is. If zombies ever chase us, I'm tripping you."

"But more importantly," she cackled. "You're all just going to have to deal with a troublesome woman on her pissed off menstruation cycle, ALL. WEEK. LONG."

Slamming the door behind her, Kiba, Neji, Sasuke, and Shikamaru looked at the door bewildered, before sighing and going back to what they were doing, less energetic and more distracted. Gaara simply rolled his eyes and continued with the reading of his book.

Kiba whispered, "I think Akira-chan's on her time of the - OWW!"

They all stared at the bar of soap that had been hurled at Kiba, hitting him directly in the side of his head.

"The shower door is next," snapped the voice from inside the washroom. The door slammed shut again, making the members of the room wince. Kiba didn't dare speak again until the sink was turned on, justifying that his whispers wouldn't be heard.

"... Is it weird that I still like her when she's angry?"

None of the boys knew the answer to his question.

(They were all wondering the same thing. )

-X-

**End Chapter.**


	8. Strange Creatures ::08::

**PaperBullets**: HAI, HAI, HAI! Chapter 8, Girls Got Game, lovelies!

**Kiba: **She doesn't own a thing, except this story and Akira Hayashi!

**PaperBullets: **That's right! Which means that these delicious bishies are up for grabs X3

**Neji: **...

**Sasuke: **Hn.

**PaperBullets: **This chapter IS NOT a special! It's just a semi-filler chapter, but in reality, there exist something called 'weekends', ne? It's not always about school, and also, Akira would like to have a life on a Saturday.

**Shikamaru: **Mendokusei...

**Gaara:** Just get on with it.

**PaperBullets: **Right! Enjoy some Reverse Harem! Read on~~

**-X-**

I... had done it.

I had lasted a week in a boys' dormitory, and made it out alive, a virgin, and most importantly: _NOT KICKED OUT._

"OH YEAH! DOUBLE HIGH FIVE!" I leapt up, an arm extended up in the air, ready for my high-five. My ear-to-ear grin dropped almost instantly as I noticed the empty courtyards staring at me.

"Idiot." Shikamaru hit me on the head from behind, causing me to drop my arm and lurch forward. I got up, ready to snap at him, until I observed what he was wearing: straight-cut jeans with a plain, white T-shirt, and a plain dark-green hoodie, half zipped up. He blinked a few times before scowling, facing his back to me. "Stop staring."

"Lookin' good today, Shika!" I announced, nudging his side playfully. I had never seen him outside the School's Uniform, which always consisted of a neck tie and dress shirt, for him: he never wore the dark blue coat, outlined with white. He claimed that it looked stupid, in general, nevertheless on him. I, myself, was in black slim jeans, and a thin, black sweater over a white collared shirt, with the top two buttons undone. However, today: my ponytail wasn't low. Instead, it was tied a few inches off the crown of my head, showing the full length of my hair. I looked more like a girl today than any other day of the week. Looking in the mirror as I got changed, it was sad to admit that I could barely even tell my own gender. Maybe a bit of makeup here and there would tip the balance, but... I obviously didn't have any with me in an All Guy's School!

"Wipe that cheeky grin off your face, troublesome woman," he attempted to retort, but I only grinned wider to his dissatisfaction.

"Well," I started, "thanks for coming for me, Shika-kun. You didn't hafta."

His expression remained the same as he walk forward in his sauntering pace. "Who else would be willing to bail you out of jail?"

My eyebrows rose at his words: it wasn't even a question, but a _statement. _My mouth scrunched up as I tried my best to not reveal my satisfaction at his answer. In the end, my lips betrayed me as I broke out into another grin, and I could see Shikamaru shift his body to turn his face away from me. One could call Shika's moodiness: possessive, mean, or even just strange. I just thought it was sweet.

**-X-**

"Damn Nara. He snuck off with her himself!" Kiba snarled from the room's window, watching Shikamaru and Akira leave the gates. Everyone was finally awake, and the two empty (and folded, courtesy of Akira) beds failed to come off ignored.

"They're probably just going out for something quick," Sasuke commented from the bed, looking over his Calculus homework.

Kiba squinted his dark brown eyes in suspicion. "I doubt it. Akira's hair is up."

"... What?"

"It's _up_. Her pony tail is up here." Kiba patted the position on his head where Akira's ponytail was located as she walked out of the gates.

"What's your point, Inuzuka?" Neji intercepted, also occupied in his homework.

"You can see how long her hair is!" The washroom door flew open.

"His point is that she looks like a _girl _today," Gaara strolled out, fully dressed in ripped washed, rippedjeans and a faded Band T-shirt, and tossed his dirty clothes onto his cluttered bed, before turning to the door. Kiba smirked as he watched the faces of his doubters change.

"Asses," he mumbled smugly.

Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed. "You mean..."

Neji raised a brow. "That's-"

"They're on a date," Gaara ended bluntly, closing the door behind him.

Deafening silence. Time in Slow Motion.

_Exit Sasuke stage right._

_Exit Neji stage right._

_Exit Kiba stage left. (1)_

_Exit Kiba stage right._

**-X-**

"We're here!"

Shikamaru glanced up at the shop's name. "Here?"

"Yes, _here._" Akira pranced up the steps, pulling the glass doors to enter the familiar scent of shampoo and heat being used. Shikamaru followed shortly after her, looking around skeptically. It wasn't a shady place or anything; it was inside one of the city's biggest malls. However, Akira had walked into a... Hair Salon.

"Akira-chan!" A man in his late twenties walked around the reception to greet Akira, and Shikamaru deducted that she was perhaps a regular customer here.

"Hayate-kun! Long time no see," Akira greeted back, wrapping her arms around the man instinctively as he did the same around her.

Hayate pulled away, his attention still on Akira. "Coming for a haircut, obviously. But why? It's not even that long." He stroked her ponytail as he spoke. Shikamaru watched silently from the door.

"Exactly, but it's _long_. That's the problem." Akira walked over to Shikamaru and took his hand, tugging him over gently. He complied, pacing closer towards the man.

"Your... ?" Hayate ventured mischievously, and Akira had completely forgotten to beware of this kind of scenario. It had been a week since someone had treated her like a girl, and the 'going out with a guy friend' scenario had never come up for her, seeing as she went to an All Girls' School.

"No... My cousin," Akira mended carefully, smiling as brightly as she could. Shikamaru choked on a few words, understanding why she had made up the excuse. Hayate studied him up and down for a few seconds. Shikamaru took the few seconds to take in what Hayate looked like, also. He wore a purple V-neck and dark skinnies, finished off with a pair of what looked like _Converse_ sneakers. On his scalp was dirty, blonde hair, with a slanted fringed bang covering just the top bit of his foreign hazel eyes. After both ends of the evaluation concluded, Hayate smirked devilishly.

"Mm-hmm. That obviously explains why you're still holding his hand," Hayate said with a wink, before turning on his heel. Two pairs of eyes darted down to their palms, and their hands immediately retracted. Hayate chuckled lightly ahead, dusting off a seat's leather covering. Akira strolled over, sitting down confidently onto the comfy chair. Shikamaru noticed that she had no need to make an appointment, or wait in line like the 7 people staring at them in confusion. Hayate called Shikamaru over to sit on the chair diagonally across from Akira, and he had a clear view of the front of her face.

"Ok, so what do you-"

Akira completely interrupted Hayate, reaching into her pocket to pull out a ripped out picture of a boy from a magazine. "Dyed a light brown, please."

A silence followed after.

"Come on, Haya, just follow the picture."

Shikamaru frowned, staring at the picture with dissaproval etched on his lips. "That's too short."

"Agreed," Hayate nodded, hands propped on his hips.

"What?_ Guys!" _Akira whined, frowning.

"That's what I should be saying," Hayate said, an eyebrow still raised. "Why on _earth _would you want it that short? You're a girl, Akira, and your hair is so dazzling! You've _never _wanted to cut it that short before..."

Akira glowered at the mirror. "It's _my _hair. I think it's appropriate."

Shikamaru intercepted. "A buzzcut on a someone like _you _is not appropriate."

"He's right, honey. I won't do it."

Akira crossed her arms stubbornly over her chest. "Are you saying that a girl with a buzzcut is automatically a lesbian or something? So now lesbians are inappropriate?"

"_No. _I said _you with a buzzcut _is not appropriate. Nothing about homosexuality in there, moron."

"It was implied."

"You know _full well _what was _implied_, Akira," Shikamaru retorted, copying her posture by folding his arms over his chest.

She finally met Shikamaru's eyes, in which she read: '_you're insane. If you think cutting it that short will make you less suspicious as a boy, you're wrong. Don't tell me you don't want the slightest bit of femininity after this month is over.'_

Amazing how much eyes could say. Really.

"... Then you decide for me, Shika." Akira sighed. "I want the tail off, at least. I want it short. My bangs are getting long, too, and they keep irritating me while I'm playing, but my main concern is the length..."

Shikamaru mused, machinery ticking away in his head. They were going to go to Boot-camp in a few days, and it was true that a feminine guy with short hair would attract a lot less attention than a feminine guy with long hair.

"You're as troublesome as ever," he murmured, getting up out of his seat and walking behind Akira and putting his hands perpendicular to the base of her neck. "Up to _here. Layers."_

Hayate smiled. "Your boyfriend's got better taste than you, Akira-chan."

Akira ignored the statement as Shikamaru awkwardly got back to his seat. "Can I keep the colour I wanted, at least?"

He glanced up at her puppy dog look. "Whatever."

"Ooh, Akira, by the end of this, you're going to look H – O – T: _HOT!" _Hayate then walked Akira over to the hair-washing stations, letting lose her tied back hair. "If you were _actually _a guy, I would totally go pedophile for you."

"Hayate," she warned.

A squeak. "Sorry, loves."

Shikamaru shifted awkwardly as Akira undid her ponytail and her hair fell to her sides. She was right; her hair definitely was getting long, several inches past her shoulder. Blood pooled around his cheeks as images of her with her hair down filled his mind. She smiled at him brightly, extending an inviting arm before-

"Why don't you go shopping around, first? It'll be an hour or so," Hayate said to Shikamaru as he began to lather Akira's hair with shampoo.

"Come back at Noon, Shika?" she proposed, unable to meet his eyes since she was on her back. Shikamaru's train of thought derailed as he folded his arms behind his head.

"Troublesome."

Akira replied with a quiet laugh as he pushed opened the glass doors and stepped outside.

**-X-**

_So Troublesome..._ Shikamaru sighed as he seated himself on a couch, _somewhere _in the mall. He had already walked around the mall for half an hour and nothing displayed in the rows and floors of stores had interested him. Shikamaru wasn't even a shopping person...

"I FOUND HIM!" _Huh?_

"Where?"

"Over there!"

His eyes widened to extraordinary proportions before ducking down, dodging a sneak attack from behind. A boy with dark, tousled brown hair tumbled over in front of him before the opposing coach stopped his roll.

"Where's Akira?" Sasuke snapped, pulling Shikamaru onto his feet.

"She's..." Shikamaru pried the Uchiha's fingers off him, and took a step to the side to gain some distance. "What the hell... Why are you guys attacking me?"

"You went on a date with Akira-chan secretly! I thought we had an understanding going on!" Kira got up off the floor, his eyes slit into glaring daggers. Neji and Gaara came from Shikamaru's side, also staring at him with confusion and anger.

"A... _date?_" Shikamaru went over the word several times in his head, while running through the definition.

"Her hair was tied in a high pony-tail, and she looked pretty girly. Or..." Neji trailed off, "Girlier than she usually is. So explain yourself, Nara."

Shikamaru did an eye roll, before shoving his hands into his pockets and muttering a 'Troublesome'. "We're _not _on a - Geez, you troublesome idiots. Just come with me."

Kiba, Neji and Sasuke looked reluctant, whereas Gaara strode unperturbedly next to Shikamaru.

There seemed to be an unnatural wind blowing past their hair, causing Neji's hair to flutter as he walked, silk vines flying over his shoulder.

Sasuke raised a hand to block his bangs from flying into his face, an eye squinting briefly as onyx brushed against his long lashes.

Kiba had a smirk placed on his face as he made eye contact with a girl staring at him, a blush on her face. He gave her a brief wave, and chuckled when she swooned into her friend's arms.

Gaara's just walked onwards with his aloof demeanor, eyes front, arms hanging loosely by his side, a stone cold, distant expression.

Shikamaru had his eyes on the ground, thoughts elsewhere, hands shoved into his sweater, wondering what time it was.

As the group ofboys glided through the mall, they tried their best to ignore the whispering, staring girls. They tried not to feed the admirers' infatuation, but they were still painfully aware of the hot, burning raptors feasting on their appearance.

"Each one of them: so hot!"

"You think they're single?"

"Stupid! Guys like them obviously have their eyes on some really awesome girls."

_... Or girl, no plural, _Shikamaru mused, as he snuck a glance at the group of males behind him.

**-X-**

"So she's only getting a haircut..." Kiba grinned playfully, relieved. Sasuke and Neji exhaled through their nose, while Gaara remained the same and Shikamaru gave his cue Troublesome speech.

"It's not long compared to Hyuuga's," Sasuke stated, holding a glare with said Hyuuga.

"Akira is too much of a girl. She can't pull off Neji's hair without looking too feminine." Shikamaru smirked, opening the doors the Salon.

"How can I help- Oh! You were the boy who came in with Akira-chan," said a woman, eyeing Shikamaru before allowing her eyes to travel to his companions. She stopped herself in time before drooling and cleared her throat. "They're in the back. Hayate's just blow drying, so feel free to go check on her."

Shikamaru muttered an awkward thank you before pacing to the back, almost nervous...

He looked around, but didn't catch sight of Akira's black sweater, or desired hair colour. No one her height, or her eyes, or—

"Ah! Akira, your boyfriend's here to pick you up! Good thing I made you adorable in time~."

"He's not my- Ugh, _Hayate_!"

The group of guys' ears perked up and they immediately followed the familiar sound of her voice. Passing through one of the booths, Shikamaru stopped at the sight of Hayate.

Then the person with him must be...

Akira turned around, a smirk on that same, familiar face. Her smirk faltered just the slightest when she saw the rest of her roommates, and a blush crawled across her face. "Y-you brought them?"

"No. They brought themselves," Shikamaru said, after registering Akira's new appearance. He turned around to see the faces of the guys in surprise, unsuspecting of how big the change would be.

"...I can see that you have many... male friends, Akira. Or are these all just _cousins_, too?" Hayate broke the silence and Akira's face bloomed a deeper red.

"They're friends of mine and Shika's, and I wasn't expecting them to come here," she said, giving them a sweet, embarrassed smile. She didn't notice when they blushed as she rustled her new short hair. It was a fantastic feeling; and she rather liked how the brown looked on her.

"You look great, Akira!" Kiba finally burst, pulling Akira out of her seat into a tight hug, and Akira gave a surprised squeak before beaming.

"Thank you, Kiba-kun! Hayate's got magic in his hands," she said and Hayate chuckled. Then, she looked over at the remainder of boys, who had been glaring at Kiba maliciously. "So... what do you guys think? Does it make me look silly?"

Kiba released Akira once his mind took in the sudden pain in his back and stepped off the side with Shikamaru. The look on Gaara's face softened a bit as he smirked.

"I like it." Akira sucked in her lip as Gaara began memorizing her new look, his dark, ominous eyes giving her the feeling of mischief. The blush paid her another visit.

"Not bad," Sasuke said after a moment's hesitation. His eyes drifted to the ground. Neji gave a faint, approving nod because focusing his attention elsewhere, too. Akira grinned, both satisfied and relieved that they weren't brutal with their words.

Hayate patted her firmly on the shoulder, smiling down on her. "It's on me, Akira."

"What? No way, you said that last time, too! If you never let me pay, I'll stop coming," Akira rejected the offer as modestly as she could; only earning a roll of eyes from Hayate.

"As if you could. Go on, Akira. You need to owe me _something _the next time I'm feeling the need to rant on you, and you paid last time even though I told you not to! You owe me the truth this time!"

Akira grinned, kissing Hayate swiftly on the cheek, completely unaware of the stiffening spines behind her. She said a goodbye and led her friends out of the salon as the salon's occupants stared at the group of teenagers.

"Didn't Akira come in as a girl?" the woman at the counter jested. Hayate chuckled, resting his elbow on the edge of the counter.

"Yup. Hurt to cut all that hair off."

"And she had beautiful, jet black hair! Why do you supposed she cut it?"

"Who knows:" Hayate shrugged, gesturing for his next customer, "a girl like that is just too unpredictable."

**-X-**

"Crazy! You're going to bring this to a whole new level, aren't you?" Tenten growled, pacing around the room impatiently. In front of her sat an awkward, guilt-ridden Akira, cross-legged on her bed. Temari sat herself on Akira's old study table while Hinata had herself placed politely on one of her stools. Akira had just finished updating her friends on the events happening at her new school, and Tenten wasn't approving.

"You're going to get _found out,_" she stressed, a premonition looming over her. "You'd be stuck with a group of hot, _sweaty _guys who can whip your ass _TEN FOLD _if they found out you were a girl! And don't get me started about the teachers, a-and how this might affect your graduation! Your life would-"

Akira tried to cut in. "They won't! I've got this under control!"

"Aki-chan," Temari interrupted. "You sure about this? It's not school with guys, it's _bootcamp _with guys. You could get expelled, and even though we're in our last year of high school... This isn't how I want to lose you, girl. Expulsion is no joke!"

"I'd be reeeally careful! I play as rough as a boy, anyways. They just think I'm a lanky guy." Akira added under her breath, "Besides, I've got five _moms_ on my back..."

Tenten raised a curious brow. "What was that?"

"Nothing."

Another silence ensued, allowing Akira to gulp in anxiety for her best friends' approval and opinion. In the end, what they thought about the situation mattered to her a whole lot, and if they were really _that _against it, she wasn't going to be selfish and do something risky when her closest friends were against it.

Tenten sighed, pondering seriously. Despite Akira's personality and physical excellence, her appearance gave her away too much. She was much too feminine to be a boy, even with her new haircut. True, a feminine, cute guy she could pass for, but for how long? They would probably be on a strict schedule and Akira would have to shower with the guys to change, with staying arrangements to be made. What if she were found out? If she were found out, her goal to get into her dream university would be gone!

Yet, Tenten knew what soccer meant to her friend. Akira wasn't going to this camp to pick up hot guys, or get herself a boyfriend: and this wasn't even all about 'fun'. This girl, this physical prodigy just wanted a chance to challenge herself: something she couldn't do in a Girls' School. Something only a Male's kick could offer. Tenten's eyes closed as she began concluding her decision. Akira tensed as she recognized the thought pattern going through Tenten's head.

"Tenten, _please. _Soccer is my everything, and as if getting into the school's Soccer Team weren't already the best thing ever, I get to challenge myself with Boot Camp! Something our schools's soccer team has never been able to offer us, and never _will. _Tenten, please!" Akira squeezed her eyes together, bracing herself. It was a one in a million chance. Tenten would never let her, and she'd have to either watch her team go without her, or betray her friend and run off without any word. Both paths brought a sharp, throbbing pain to her chest.

"I-"

"Fine."

"-guess I should—WHAT?"

"I said '_Fine',_" Tenten repeated, a calm expression on her face.

Akira blinked. "I- I know what you said but- but REALLY! OH MY GOSH, I LOVE YOU, TENTEN; THANK YOU, THANK YOU!"

Akira leapt up and onto Tenten, who nearly toppled over if not for her fast reflexes. Tenten hugged back reassuringly, smiling faintly to herself before pulling away to face a huge grin. Akira squealed again. "You're so awesome, thank you!"

"I'm just worried, you know I am," Tenten grinned faintly, worry still on her mind. "Do _not _get found out, you hear me? _It's not funny!__"_

"I know! I'll be extra careful!" Akira laughed, suddenly remembering something. "Oh, right! I got you a date with Hyuuga! He agreed to it, so for sure I'm going to make it happen as soon as I get back!"

It was Tenten's turn to gawk and squeal.

Temari and Hinata looked at each other, smiling and laughing at the two rejoicing, dancing girls.

**-X-**

"They actually let you go? Some friends," Shikamaru snorted, not sure if he meant it in a positive or negative demeanor.

"So you're coming for sure, right?" Kiba asked loudly.

"Already handed in my release form so I'm all good! Soccer Heaven, here I coooome!"

"I'm not so sure about 'Heaven'," Sasuke muttered, subconsciously glaring at the wall as he realized the amount of attention Akira would get from the guys at other schools, _and _their current school because of his new haircut and looks. Neji seemed to be pondering the same fact. Akira merely ran her hand through her hair more often, revitalized with the new sensation of cool wind against her refreshed scalp and the option of not using a comb in the morning anymore.

"I can't wait!" Akira bubbled and Gaara raised a non-existent brow at her. He began to wonder if other girls were like this, and if so, maybe he should get out more.

"It's not going to be troublesome for you. We're going to be the ones to cover up for you the whole time," Shikamaru stated, laying on his bed sleepily as he rested the back of his head on his arms.

"That's why I love you guys," she replied, picking up her cup of water to take a slurp.

Neji's book fell, Gaara looked up, Sasuke stopped in the midst of taking off his shirt, Kiba's lip parted, Shikamaru's eyes opened, and all their hearts had an abrupt glitch in rate. Akira noticed the shocked reactions, and she slowly, carefully sipped at her water. Her and her friends told each other they loved each other quite a lot, maybe she was... pushing it a bit too far with these guys? Or maybe just the male race wasn't accustomed to it?

"...Um..." She swallowed the gulp of liquid, feeling it slip down her throat. "Too close to all your likings? Sorry, then, I'll-"

"Hn." Akira raised a brow at Gaara.

"Whatever." Then at Neji.

"I'm going to bed." She furrowed her eyebrows at Kiba.

"Same here," Sasuke said, and all of the boys began putting down whatever they were doing to go under the covers.

"Troublesome..." Shikamaru ended the chain of reactions, hoisting himself onto his mattress.

Akira blinked curiously as the lights and lamp went off until the one on her side was the only on. She gave an inward chuckle before positioning herself half into her blanket. She reached out to turn off the lamp and was shocked to see Shikamaru's hand also extended. They both stopped as soon as the other hand came into view, unsure of who was going to turn off the lamp. Both leaned forward, and they brushed fingers. Shikamaru immediately retracted and Akira ended up turning the switch off. A rustling of sheets, coughs, grunts, and the feeling of angry glares came from the direction of all her roommates' beds brought a smile to her face. Guys were such strange creatures.

"Goodnight, guys. Sweet dreams," she whispered, loud enough for all of them to hear.

**-X-**

(1) Yes, Kiba did indeed crash into a wall. How graceful.

**HOLD BACK, HOLD BACK!** PLEASE, DON'T KILL ME!

Ohdear, it took me more than a month! Really, it sucks to a whole new level when you forget to save documents. Ugh.

I was actually in the middle of writing this when one of my cousins walked in and I immediately EXIT EXIT EXIT FORCE QUIT FORCE QUITTED EVERYTHING without saving because... I was at a pretty... bleh part, and he can obviously read everything that's on the screen. Wrote a lot more and got to the boys' soccer team's reaction to Akira's haircut so uh... yeah, stuff happened.

**MY BAD.** Dx

Whatchathink whatcha think? OMFG, AKIRA'S GOING TO A CAMP! WITH HOT, SWEATY BOYS! WOOOOOOO.

**Review, you lovely, patient, brilliant people, you.**


	9. Just My Type! ::09::

Ah! So I had a biiiit of trouble with this chappie, but it's finally ready to be posted! Chya! Sorry for the wait! But this chapter is loooong! 8000 words! A lot longer than my beginning few, since those were like the filler chapters. But much love! I appreciate your patience!

**Warning: Much Shika Fluff! **Haha, I seriously seem to be playing him up on my favorites list for this story. In fact, that chances of him ending up with Akira are a lot higher than the rest of them, don't you agree? I don't know, I just feel like they have so many 'coincident' moments, plus he's always the one that Akira confides in first, and he was the first to find out!

But no worries YET, because my plans for this story aren't headed that way (sorry to disappoint!). I mean, romance is a big factor in this story, but I don't think I'll be playing it up any time soon. Especially with Akira's kind of character, she's not looking for any relationship... unless the relationship happens to find her. SPOILER? AHAHAHA.

**Read on, my lovely readers (:**

**-X-**

"Run, Maggots, Run! Ahahahaha!"

"Our coach is freaking insane," Shou murmured.

Hikari grinned. "She's... unique."

"That's just saying she's messed in the head!" Hikari rolled his eyes and sprinted past Shou, who pouted immaturely and jogged faster to catch up.

"Sorry, Sasuke, what lap are we on?" Akira asked him, panting. Her steady jog potentially turning into long tread, which turned into lagging, desperate strides.

"Eighth. Two more," the Uchiha replied, eyes straight ahead, sweat dripping from his forehead.

"I'm going to collapse," Akira muttered, feeling her legs giving in.

"This isn't fair. Akira's... _you know_, so she shouldn't have to do the same things as us!" Kiba whined.

"What was that?" she snapped. He merely yelped in fright at the threatening words.

"I-I just mean that your body wasn't cut out for it like us. We've got a lot more testosterone, and our muscles are more defined than yours. Plus we have bigger ankles so we – AKIRA!" he yelled after her, but with a huff, she sprinted past another group of them.

Neji remarked bluntly, "Well, that motivated him."

"'_Bigger ankles'_?" Sasuke glared at him. "_Really, _Inuzuka?"

"You wanna _go_, Uchiha?" Kiba snarled back, shooting a quick glance back at Akira.

"A'right, Maggots." Anko shouted, grinning smugly at the exhausted group in front of her. "Camp's tomorrow. If you haven't started packing already, it'd be a good idea to start now. Shine your cleats, oil 'em, buff 'em, lick 'em, do whatever, but be ready tomorrow morning at 5 AM sharp, got it!"

A chorus of breathy, barely audible agreeing words floated around. She smirked even wider. "Good! Water break, then onto drills. Move it, maggies!"

"Hey, nice haircut, Akira. Looks nice on you," Hikari complimented, giving Akira a dazzling smirk. She smiled back and nodded eagerly.

"Yeah! The length was really sticking to my neck with all that disgusting sweat, you know?"

"Then you shoulda gotten a buzzcut!" Shou jested out loudly. Shikamaru cast Akira a secretive off glance. She stuck her tongue out at him immaturely, only tasting some of the sweat around her lips.

Bringing the water bottle to her lips, she watched as slow motion took over with hot, sweaty, panting guys dumping water over each other, laughing, and hitting each other. They were all drenched in sweat, and some of them quickly took off their jersey, soaked it in the water fountain and wrung it out before putting it back on. Not before Akira caught some of those perfectly defined six pack abs.

She glanced up to see Gaara staring fixatedly at her. Before she could feel awkward or wonder why he was staring, he smirked, stripping himself of his shirt and fanning it out.

..._Steamy._

She spat some water out, water dripping out of her mouth as she wiped it guiltily and turned away to blush. _Wrooong word! Quit thinking that way, Hayashi! You didn't come here to check out hot guys!_

She tossed her bottle in her bag and began to jog on the spot. _But it suuure is an added bonus, _she added quietly to her thoughts.

"High knees, get at 'em, get at 'em! Four hundred meters, go, go, go!" Anko shouted, her raspy voice triggering several headaches. Akira immediately went at the High knees, being first in line and tried her best to ignore the worries she had for the upcoming day.

None of the five guys wanted to admit it either, but secretly, they knew that they coming weeks had a lot in store for them.

**-X-**

I nodded my head to the Ipod music blaring loudly in my ears. I turned my head when Shikamaru tapped my shoulder and met his frown. He mouthed something, but I couldn't hear it.

"I can't here you!" I shouted, pointing to my headphones. "It's too loud!"

He plucked them out of my ears. "Turn it down. Everyone else can hear your music, too."

Still bobbing my head in every direction, I turned the volume down, still lipsyncing to the lyrics with expertise. The fast, danceable beat was helping to energize me from a brutal wake-up.

_"Party Rockers in the hooouse toniiiight!"_ (1) I sang loudly, slightly giggling when Nara nudged me in the side. I was sitting beside him on the Shuttle bus. Sasuke was seated next to Gaara, and Kiba next to Neji. I wasn't really sure how everyone in our room ended up next to eachother, but I just shrugged it off: maybe they're closer than they look.

_"Everyday I'm shuff-uh-lin'!" _I quoted, but Shikamaru looked like he didn't care that much. I decided to wait for the next line, and...

_"Step up fast, and be the first girl to make me throw this cash!" _I laughed when I caught sight of the horrified look on Shikamaru's face. "What? You're not telling me you don't know this song, are you?"

"...No," he answered bluntly. I shrugged and began to mouth the words, drumming the beat onto my thighs.

**-X-**

"Remind me again why Shikamaru got to sit next to Akira," Kiba growled as the four guys watched intently when Akira's head fell lightly onto Shikamaru's shoulder.

"Because Akira chose to," Neji grumbled, equally disappointed that the candidate was not he. Sasuke shifted uncomfortably in his seat, while Gaara remained silent, his arms crossed over his chest as he focused on one spot on the seat in front of him.

Shikamaru tried to ignore the grumbling and hissing behind him and focused on the matter racking his mind. Their words proved the unspoken too well.

He glanced over at her sleeping face for a moment, watching with a soft expression on his face as she breathed in and out lightly, her lips almost dry from dehydration, and she wiggled her nose in her sleep. Shikamaru nearly lost himself when she shifted her body just the slightest closer to his, her arms tingling the hairs on his.

_This is getting more and more troublesome... _He cringed, feeling his chest being squeezed as his stomach churned. He sighed, brushing her bangs out of her eyes so he could see her face more clearly.

_And so much more difficult..._

**-X-**

"AAAGGGHHH! Four hours takes its toll on my energy levels, man!" Kiba stretched his arms out suggestively and noticed as Akira walked past him, yawning. He blinked, before sparking an idea and casually lowering his outstretched arm to accommodate room for Akira's shoulders—

Until Neji shoved him back into the bus.

Fuming, Kiba retaliated by jumping up and ranting about beating the Hyuuga up. Akira yawned again, opening droopy eyes to meet the azure orbs of her roommate Gaara. She couldn't help it as pink stained her cheeks. "M-Morning, Gaara-kun."

"It's been morning for a few hours now, Akira. Don't you think you're a bit _late?" _he drawled out, smirking so devilishly that Akira had to look away briefly.

"Ahahah, nothing like the morning air to wake you up!" she commented awkwardly, avoiding the burning gaze of the red head. In all his hot glory, sometimes it was just too much heat for her to take...

Another bus pulled up directly next to theirs, and not a second later, the doors opened and packs of tall, muscular boys tumbled out, calling each other names and hitting each other. It took a few more seconds for the two opposing guy groups to notice each other.

"Oh, psh, it's just the Konoha Flames," a boy from the other side shouted, and a few of them laughed, high fiving each other.

"Yeah, the same Konoha Flames that owned your asses three years in a row!" Akira heard Kiba call out, and it was their turn to laugh and give out cocky looks. Akira could barely believe what was happening – this was so cliché! And so guyish! She loved it!

"Who are they?" she whispered to Sasuke, who had his eyes fixated on the pack of boys.

"The Hokkaido Hawks," he whispered back, voice raspy. Akira noticed as yet _another _bus pulled up, a few parking spots away and another group of boys piled out.

"Wouldja look at that? Perfect timing, Kyoto Kings," the first boy to come out of the bus said, followed by others who smirked when they caught sight of the other buses.

"Lemme guess: They're the Kyoto Kings, and they're both soccer teams we'll be going against?" Akira sighed, watching at Sasuke nodded, turning around brusquely, triggering a chain reaction as the rest of the boys from Konoha turned around to retrieve their stuff, going into the hotel without another word.

**-X-**

"How do we know you won't cop a feel in the middle of the night?"

Neji sneered, a blush crawling onto his cheeks. "I won't. I can't say the same about you, Uchiha."

Sasuke glared at Hyuuga before his eyes averted to a chuckling Inuzuka who was grinning to himself smugly. "What are you grinning about, Inuzuka? If anything, you're the _last _person we'd let in her bed."

"_What? _I wouldn't do anything! What are you tryin' to say, you ass?" Kiba growled, teeth showing as he snarled. "And I don't think—"

"Why don't we just—" Shikamaru tried.

"NO." He grimaced, upset that the boys were talking about the sleeping arrangements so openly while Akira had just headed out. The minute they had walked into the hotel room to find three separate queen sized beds, they had started an eye war. Akira, being as perceptive as she was rolled her eyes and walked out of the room without a word.

A prompt knock on the door caused the boys to shut up for a few seconds. Shikamaru walked over to answer it, opening it to find Akira.

"Got anything to tell me?" she growled, snapping the boys a brute, thoroughly annoyed look. They gulped and looked away. She sighed.

"Look, I doubt any of you guys are jumping for joy that you have to share a bed with another guy, so three on a bed is probably out a question, which means I won't be getting a bed to myself. So what have I figured? Let's leave it to luck." She reached into her back jean pocket and took out five straws.

"We're drawing straws?" Sasuke stated, not sounding the least bit interested.

"I'll share a bed with whoever draws the shortest one. On the condition he doesn't do anything to me, but I trust you guys," she ended with a serious look, revealing her genuine feelings. They hadn't ratted her out yet, and they hadn't made her do anything perverted to keep their secret – of course, risking that she would rat their 'raid' secret out, but still. They had kept their word. "So what's it gonna be?"

Shrugging and eager to get it over with, the boys grumbled agreements and nodded. Akira smiled, a bit nervous herself. "Good. Go for it."

Neji was the first to reach his hand out and take one, which made the rest of the boys slowly retrieve a straw. Shikamaru looked at Akira and told her she was such a troublesome woman before grabbing one, and there was one straw left. Akira threw it in the air and Gaara caught it, lying casually on a bed. He leaned over, and with that, they all stuck their hand out with their straw to see the length. It was very clear who the shortest straw belonged to. Akira shrugged and bent down to retrieve her duffel bag.

"So it's settled," she exhaled, tossing it on the bed the redhead rested on. "Guess my innocence is in your hands, Gaara."

With that, the rest of the boys slowly settled who was going to sleep with who. Shikamaru was with Neji and Sasuke was with Kiba. Akira let out a booming 'HA'! Gaara was just resting lazily with his arms behind his head on the other side, glancing over to look at her as all the other boys directed their gaze to Akira.

"Did you forget our little deal?" Akira purred, sitting on the side of her bed. She couldn't help it that she felt so spiteful, but she was really glad she remembered!

"I promised I would room with you guys on the condition that Neji and Sasuke wake up every morning seeing each other's face, so there's going to have be a little modification to this sleeping arrangement, gentlemen."

Cue social awkwardness, and flaming red cheeks on the two most arrogant in the room.

Shikamaru mumbled his troublesome speech and kicked his bag over to Kiba, not really caring and he flopped down comfortably. Neji and Sasuke refused to meet eyes as they glared at the floor. Akira huffed, lying down on the bed as a mirror image to Gaara, who had a smirk lingering on his face. Revenge was sweet.

**-X-**

"Dinner in an hour! Be there, maggots!" Anko hollered in front of the open door. Shikamaru immediately regretted opening it for her.

"Whatever." Shikamaru sighed.

"Hn." Sasuke came out from washing his hands.

"..." Gaara yawned on the bed, eyes focused on the television.

Neji muttered, "Sure."

"Kay!" Kiba shouted back, also distracted with the HD screen. His and Shikamaru's bed conveniently faced the TV directly.

"Got it!" Akira answered, unzipping her duffel bag to retrieve a sweater. It was a bit cold outside. Anko skipped on to the next-door and pounded heavily on it like she had with their room. Shikamaru deadpanned and closed the door, reminding himself to look through the sight hole before opening it next time.

"We still have an hour," Kiba muttered. "What do you want to do 'til then?"

Akira grinned, taking out the Frisbee disk she brought. "Who's up for some Ultimate Frisbee?"

There were a few disgruntled mumbles.

"Hm. Fine. I was going to ask some other guys anyways." Before she had even finished talking, she stifled a laugh at the amount of shock that flashed through their faces.

"Coming!" Kiba shouted, tumbling out of his bed. The rest of the guys scrambled to get their things and tie their shoes. Akira raised an amused brow and chuckled.

"You guys are so _weird. _I'm going down the hall to ask them anyways!" Akira chirped, jogging down to the center of the hallway to Room 1602. She rang the doorbell humbly and stood there for about a minute before ringing it again. A few second later, a shirtless Shou opened the door, eyes groggy and hair tousled messily on his head. Akira sucked in a breath and held it. What was with all the guys looking so cute after they woke up?

"What - Oh, hey Akira." Shou yawned, raising an arm to support himself on the doorframe and Akira tried not to stare at his armpit hair. Or his bare chest. Or his extremely good looks.

"Uhh..." So she stared at the door number, a blush on her cheeks. Shou didn't seem to notice, in his half-conscious form. She looked at the disk in her hands and remembered her words. "We're going outside for some Ultimate. You guys... busy?"

Shou blinked innocently. Oh _man, _was he cute! "Sure, be out in a sec. I'll tell the rest of them."

Akira rocked patiently on her feet as Shou kicked the doorstop on and heard him howl that Akira was inviting them to Ultimate. A few guys grumbled, turning in their beds. Akira recognized them to be Shinichi and Ryuusuke. She waited as they threw on shirts. The door to her own room opened and five guys walked out, changed into shorts and sweats instead of jeans, and a few had also changed from a T-shirt to something warmer. She beamed, shyly waving her fingers at them as they walked towards her. She watched as Neji smacked Kiba on the head for trying to wave shyly back at her and she laughed when a mini fight broke out. Gosh, they were strange!

Hikari, Shou and Maximus strolled out. Hikari was in a V-neck black shirt, Bench hoodie, what looked like swim shorts, and runners. Shou was just in longsleeve white shirt, grey sneakers, and dark jeans: the same he had opened the door with, and Maximus had on plaid blue and grey top with a white tank top underneath, which fitted his extremely defined muscles flawlessly. He was also wearing beige knee-length shorts and flip-flops. He smiled and told Akira that he wasn't feeling so well, but he was going outside with them to get some fresh air. Akira nodded and as they walked down the hall and to the elevator, her mind began to drift.

For a few moments, Akira began to consider how un-muscular she must be compared to these oh-so-toned guys on the soccer team. At the same time, she was undoubtedly considered fit and muscular compared to the girls on her team, so she made for a half-decent guy, otherwise her act would have been poked through weeks ago.

She felt a bit disappointed before being reminded that guys didn't like tomboy girls like her anyways. They liked the girls that would depend on them; the girls who smiled and rose petals would swirl around their face! She frowned when she looked at herself in the mirror and sighed at her face. Sometimes she wished... she didn't know, that she had bigger eyes and thinner lips? Or something like that? The fact that she could pull off being a boy for so long without the rest of her teammates really suspecting anything must say _something _about her overall facial features. She knew she wasn't a pretty girl, and she hadn't ever gone out with a guy before – plus, the fact that she went to an all girls school didn't help much – so she didn't expect to wake up one morning and be flirted with by every good looking guy that came her way... But it would be nice to have a guy look her way once and think 'Hey! Don't you think that girl is pretty?'

It would be... nice.

"What are you thinking about, Akira-kun?" Hikari asked politely, a friendly smile on his features as they walked down the stairs and made their way out to the field of grass. He noticed the sad way Akira was staring at the floor.

Akira sighed. "Nothing important."

"Girl problems?" Max tried innocently, rubbing his chin. Akira laughed sadly at his attempt to cheer her up.

"Yes, exactly. Girl problems," she breathed, skeptical on how perfectly it fit. As she sprinted in front of everyone to the field of grass, she hadn't realized that one of her roommates had picked up on her conversation.

Shikamaru shifted uncomfortably. Besides, there was no way to miss the grief when she said 'girl problems'. It was very clear she wasn't falling head over heels for some girl who didn't exist (especially judging by the way she blushed when Hikari, Shou and Maximus came out), and being the type of girl she was, he doubted she would have caught onto her roommates yet, and it was very clear she never played favorites with any one, so she didn't have a crush. He knew exactly what was on Akira's mind and it clawed at his heart.

He only wished that he had the guts to prove to her how wrong she was.

**-X-**

_First to Five wins... We just need one more point! _Akira gritted her teeth.

"Stall One, Stall Two, Stall Three!" he chanted and Akira laughed.

"You're such a jerk, Kiba!" she jested, whizzing the disk barely past his arms and her team member Shikamaru caught it, who proceeded to pass it to Shou.

"Over here!" Akira waved her arms and Shou passed it to her, but Hikari jumped at it and knocked it away. Akira groaned and pouted at Hikari, who tauntingly stuck out his tongue.

"Uchiha!" he called out and with flick of the wrist, he shot it through the air and it tore under Shikamaru's outreached arm and Sasuke caught it with expertise. Akira was his check and she stood in front of Sasuke, body low and arms out to try to throw his aim off. Sasuke tried not pay attention to how close her body was to his and gulped, eyes straying elsewhere other than her binded chest. Gaara sprinted to the side and Sasuke passed to him successfully through Akira's arm, but Shou shrieked and dove for the Frisbee, catching it instead. Akira doubled over and guffawed, the scream repeating over and over in her head.

"Shou, you scream like a girl!" she continued to laughed and he chuckled.

"Well, you _look _like a girl!" he retorted, passing it to her. She jumped up and caught it, and she was surprised to find herself a strangely encouraged by the comment. Neji was assigned to be behind the goal line and when Akira made eye contact with him, he leered, getting ready, but she had to be careful because Gaara had positioned himself in front of him. She saw Kiba running at her full speed and her heart skipped a beat when she launched the Frisbee, flying past every else's head. She watched as Gaara raced after it, determined to intercept the exchange but Shou literally _pounced _on the red head and drove him to the floor, and Neji caught the Frisbee in their end zone.

"OH YEAH!" Akira shouted in triumph. "SHOU, YOU'RE THE MAN!"

"I gotch'er back, Hayashi!" he yelled, getting off of Gaara, who looked just a bit pissed. Akira grinned when Shou scooted farther and farther away from the red head, probably also realizing what Gaara could do to him.

Max smiled from the log and called out the score in English, gesturing to Akira, Shikamaru, Shou and Neji's side. "**5 to 3! Their team wins!"**

"Woo!" Shou danced and he ruffled Akira's hair "Yeeeeee boy! That's what I'm talkin' bout!"

"Stop it! You're messing up my hair!" Akira whined and Shou released her.

"You better be this good during the games, Striking Middy!" Shou slapped her butt once and her whole body tensed, unable to control the blush rising to her cheeks. Shou skipped forward and gloated in front of his best friend, Hikari's face and was unaware of the many glares directed his way.

"You're so troublesome," Shikamaru said lowly and came up to Akira's right side, smirking to her. She blushed, mumbling a gritted 'shut up'.

"It's Dinner time!" Max shouted, walking ahead of everyone and into the hotel lobby, waiting by the revolving doors. "**Hurry up, slowpokes!"**

"Stop speaking in English!" Kiba called out and Max laughed. Everyone passed through the doors and made their way to the cafeteria. Anko and the rest of the team was already there. They grabbed a tray and made their way down the buffet. After a few minutes, they all decided to sit together, seeing as all the other groups had already formed and they had come a tad bit late.

"Who's sleeping with who in your hotel?" Hikari asked Neji and Sasuke immediately stiffened and halted in their eating.

Akira answered for them, feeling full of spite. "Kiba's with Shikamaru, and Neji's with Sasuke!"

"_Uchiha and Hyuuga?_" Shou repeated, baffled. "Blasphemy! How'd you make them agree to it?"

Kiba snorted. "You've got no idea what this girl is capable of."

"Ahaha, yeah—" there was a deep silence as everyone stared at Kiba.

"Did you just call Akira a girl?" Hikari inquired, eyebrows furrowed. Akira looked about ready to leave and she immediately glared death daggers at the Inuzuka, shoulders flaring up in anger. Why couldn't he ever be a bit more careful?

"We always make fun of Hayashi for being scrawny," Shikamaru blurted, and she reminded herself of how lucky she was to have him on her side. "So we make fun of his gender sometimes and call him a girl."

"Mmm." Shou hummed, and he looked like he was considering something. "You're right! When I first saw Hayashi, I was like 'Whaaa? What's a girl doing in an All Boys' School!' And then I saw him play soccer and I knew he was full male. No girl can play that good!"

"Ahaha, oookay... Ahem, yeah, guess I am a bit feminine," Akira laughed sheepishly, avoiding eye contact with anyone. She felt Max's blue eyes burning into her and she gulped. She picked at her pasta and cautiously took a bite.

"A _bit _feminine?" Shou repeated, grunting. "Dude, you know, if I didn't know you were a guy, I'd totally ask for your—OW! Who stepped on my foot?"

"I have to admit," Hikari finally spoke, taking a sip out of his coke, and Akira looked up at his striking ember orbs. They stared at her so steadily that Akira thought she might melt if she looked at them any longer. "If I met a girl genuinely into sports who could play on part with me, I'd absolutely ask her out."

Akira felt her heart skip a beat and the heat rise to her cheeks. It was just... everything about Hikari just then: the way he looked, the way he spoke, the words that came out of his mouth: it was like he was seeing right through her. She didn't like it. She didn't like it at all.

Max smiled. "What are all your types? Come on, we might as well share, since we're on this topic."

"Oh!" Shou instantly jumped into action, rambling about his ideal girl. "She's got to be really really cute! And I don't mean cute as in looks, but like.. adorable, you know? So whenever she needs help, I can show off and she'll be all 'Oh, Shou-sama! You're so manly and handsome!'" Akira laughed while the other guys smirked at Shou's high pitched voice. He then lowered it to accommodate himself. "'I'll always be there to protect you...' 'Oh, Shou!'"

Max pretended to make a gagging noise, and that was what triggered the chuckling at the table. Akira loved this kind of atmosphere. Made her feel so at home, and other than her best friends, most girls she knew couldn't joke around like these carefree guys.

"No, seriously! But I don't want to her to be useless, so she can be really good at housework, and cooking... and stuff."

"And stuff...?" Hikari challenged. "You mean in bed?"

Akira flushed white as Shou hit Hikari for being 'indecent' and the conversation continued.

"I've already stated mine. I want a girl who's good at sports, not some wussy who runs as soon as the ball flies over." Akira felt just a bit comforted by this. Hikari really didn't look like the type. "Since I'm aiming to be a Idol... I expect her to be loyal and understanding since my schedule will probably be busy and I won't be available all the time. And she needs to trust me...Because I would always be faithful, despite any scandals."

"**Ladies maaaan**," Max commented in English, and everyone knew what he meant. Hikari shrugged it off like it was nothing and nudged his head towards Max, who seemed to be deep in thought.

"Well, first, she needs to be an amazing kisser." Akira nearly choked on her drink because of this, before laughing at Max's joke. "And she needs to be 'pure' in the sense that she's not needy, or greedy, and the last thing I want is for her to be bawling her eyes out because I didn't 'text her back' fast enough. But I don't want her to be a complete 'innocent angel', because sometimes, I'm a bit needy myself, y'know?"

She couldn't believe she was listening to this conversation. Was this really what these guys wanted in a girl? Some of them were typical guy stuff... and some of them were really shocking! Who knew they could be so sensitive sometimes?

Next was Neji. He didn't look all that interested in the game.

"Erm..." he stammered, not knowing if he should say it out loud. Besides, the only girl on his mind lately was currently _at the table. _"I don't really have a type."

Sasuke smirked at this. "Embarrassed?"

Neji growled, putting down his fork. "She... has to be hardworking, and full of determination. Someone who... brings out the better in me."

"That's so cheesy~" Kiba teased, earning a glare. He flushed and continued pigging out on his lasagna. He immediately went on to his type, seeing as he was seated beside the lavender eyed.

"Number One, she probably has to be pretty," Kiba said, munching on his meal. Akira tried not to show her disappointment at this. She knew it was obviously going to be a factor, but she was kind of hoping her friends would be all into the 'it's not about the outside, but the inside!'. Looks like her hopes weren't all that realistic after all.

"And she can't whining to me all the time, saying 'Kiba, take me here, take me there!'. She needs to learn that since I'm the man, I'm in charge and I'm on top," he smirked. "In more ways than one."

"Oooh. Playing dirty now, are we?" Max remarked and Kiba chuckled.

"Ehh, iuno. Girls just don't understand us guys," he let out a muffled burp and the chain reaction at the table was agreement. Akira rolled her eyes, which Gaara caught and smirked silently at.

"You, Gaara?" Akira asked, seeing as everyone else seemed to be a bit skeptical on asking him and she didn't want to draw suspicion to herself that she was so quiet.

He opened his eyes and his cerulean orbs made contact with Akira. "Don't have one. Girls aren't worth my time."

Shou snorted. "Come on, one factor. Then we'll leave y'alone."

Gaara glared at him, but seeing as Shou just blinked innocently and didn't seem to be phased by his glaring, he grumbled and thought. "Well... she can't be scared of me."

"Go figure. I'm a man, and you scare the crap out of me sometimes, Sabaku," Shou confessed.

"I really doubt the statement that you're a 'man', then, Murakami," Akira accused aloud, earning a smirk from some and a lighthearted punch from Shou.

Everyone looked at Sasuke, who seemed to already be done his meal.

"Ooh, the untouchable Uchiha. What's his type gonna be?" Max bantered and Akira felt the need to add in.

"Sasuke, do you have any idea what the girls at the All Girls' School call you?" At this, he raised an eyebrow. "The Bona Fide Sex God Of All."

Cue loud laughter, smirks and one disgruntled Uchiha, but Akira got the reaction she wanted and she stifled a giggle and quickly made up her cover-up lie. "Seriously. Sakura's my cousin, after all, and she never _shuts up _about you!"

"Ain't that a blessing," Kiba retorted, which really fit, especially after his comment about how he hated naggy, clingy girls.

"So what is your type? Don't worry, I won't blab to Sakura," Akira said, finished up her meal. She wiped her mouth and leered at the glaring Uchiha.

Sasuke considered the question for a moment and sipped at his drink. Was there ever a girl he's been even the _slightest _attracted to...?

A picture of a girl smiling flashed through his mind and he choked on his beverage, coughing and hitting his chest.

A few guys asked if he was all right and he growled that he was fine. Finally, after a long while, he spoke up.

"Same as Inuzuka: no nagging. I swear on my life, I would rather date _Hyuuga _than go out with one of those squealing girls." Akira could understand this, but.. _Hyuuga? _Really? Wasn't that pushing the envelope? Haha...

"She's... not _nice," _Sasuke smirked, making everyone confused. "She's very sensitive and fragile, although she doesn't like to admit it herself. She seems to be having a hard time accepting her weaknesses and doesn't ever want to depend on those around her."

Akira raised a brow. Sasuke was talking like this girl already existed so that meant... She smirked. _Heh._ _Pinkie and Blondie can go eat their heart out._

"She's amazing," he ended, shocking everyone, "but she doesn't even know it."

"Seems like you've already got your sights set on someone," Hikari muttered, eyes glazing over to Akira, who was grinning madly for the next candidate.

"Shika! Your turn!" she chirped. He closed his eyes and sighed.

"This is so troublesome. Can I skip like Gaara?" Akira pursed her lips.

"No. Even he said something." He rolled his eyes.

"I don't have much interest in woman. I'll just grow old, they'll bare my children, and then they'll make me my meals. I shouldn't need to worry myself over whether she's my type or not. Anything as long as she's not loud and bossy."

Is what he wanted to say.

But it was like he couldn't bring the words out of his mouth, because it wasn't the case anymore. It really wasn't what was going on in his mind...

"Come on, Nara," Max pressed. "What makes you 'click'?"

He sucked in a breath and held it for a moment. "I don't want a strong-willed and bossy woman. Though it seems that those seem to be the type I encounter the most..."

A few guys chuckled, understanding the lazy-ass's mindset. It was just so Shikamaru. "But..."

He was going to regret it. He knew he was. He shouldn't have agreed to spitting it out, but he couldn't even stop the words from coming out of his mouth now. He sighed and leaned back. "She has to be the kind of girl... that when she smiles, everyone stops to stare for a second."

"Whoa. That's... I didn't know you were the romantic type, Nara." Hikari laughed. Neji, Sasuke, Kiba and Gaara found themselves all inwardly agreeing with Shikamaru, a specific someone on their mind.

"Akira! Spit it out! What's your type?" Shou nuggied Akira's head and she groaned out.

"Not the hair, not the hair!" she bantered, knocking him away. "My type? Uhh... I honestly don't have one..."

"Come on! Don't gimme that crap, you should know that we're not gonna let you go with nothing!"

"Fine!" Akira grumbled, thinking. She hadn't really given it much thought. What was her type? Heck, she couldn't answer completely truthfully, either, since she had to describing a girl, here, not a guy!

Everyone listened in intently, giving his undivided attention to her. Since she was the last one to speak, everyone had finished his meal. Somehow, listening to all these guys talk about their ideal girl made her really re-think. She knew that these guy friends of her weren't 'shallow' compared to the many other guys she had met before, and she knew they were good people who weren't only looking for a way to 'get into someone's pants' but...

"I don't really have a type... I mean, you shouldn't be with someone just because they fit a criteria! Isn't love supposed to spontaneous and unexplainable? But... I wouldn't care if she had the most plain face on earth, or if she liked to hang out with guys more than girls," she began, really feeling the moment. Her eyes drooped and she really reached into her heart. "Or if she didn't wear any makeup, or if she was loud and ungirly! She could be short, tall, fat or whatever you want, but as long as she loved me and wanted to be with me for the rest of her life... But I don't want a girl who just throws out the word 'love' like it's an article. I want her actions to speak for her words, and I want her... to really love me. I don't think I'd mind learning to love a girl like that. Someone who'd wholeheartedly give her heart to me and stay true to me?" She phrased it like a question as a test, to see how it sounded.. She nodded in satisfaction. "Yeah. That'd be my... type."

The entire table quieted down, as if slowly taking in her words. She held back a gasp and gave a nervous laugh. "Y'know, that'd be ideal! But... that's never going to happen. I mean, I'm pretty old school, and no girls (guys) in this century would ever meet that definition! But if I had a love story of my own, it'd be something like that."

It was Hikari who finally spoke, breaking the unpleasant silence. "I didn't know a little guy like you could be so deep."

"Was that deep? I could have probably gotten even deeper... I MEAN—" but before she could shy away in horror at Kiba or Shou to jump up and shout 'That's what he said!', she realized no one had caught any kind of naughty meaning in her words. Which was _extremely _odd, seeing as... you know... These are hormonal guys we're talking about here. But most of them seemed to be deep in thought, rubbing their chin and just plain staring into space.

"...Earth to Konoha Flames?" she tried. "Hello? HELLO? Gosh, way to make me feel self-conscious about my preferences!"

"Sorry, but what you said, Akira-kun..." Max said, "It almost sounded... like something a girl would say."

_Holy. Frikin. Apple Cider._ She didn't even have time to worry about her secret. That was almost offensive. Scratch that, it _wa__s _offensive! So anything _deep, emotional, _or _'unrealistic' was_ something a girl would say?

"Uhh..." she tried to save herself. "I get that a lot. I guess my idea of love is kinda weird..."

"I think I like your definition a lot more than mine," Shou muttered, forcing out a smile, but without much luck. She wanted to spin back time and give a different answer now. Why did she take the question so much to heart? Gosh, she was such an idiot! She should have just gone with the flow and said something like she wanted big boobs and a cute smile! She just had to go ruin the mood because she was feeling a bit down because none of their types matched her personality-

She blushed. Was that really why she said all that? Her self-esteem problems weren't... _that _bad, were they?

"You soldiers look like you're done. Head on up and get changed," Anko commanded, and all the guys began to stand up. Akira felt a bit grateful for Anko's great timing.

There was little conversation going back to the rooms, but Akira was very appreciative of Max, Hikari and Shou for trying to liven up the mood. She knew full well that they were the ones keeping the mood and conversation going at the table, especially with the moodiness of Neji, Sasuke and Gaara. The only ones ever really talked in her room were Kiba and herself, and Shikamaru probably just disliked the thought of moving any lip muscles. They waved goodbye when Hikari, Shou and Max approached their room. Akira's room was still a ways down. When they got there, Neji promptly put in the key and swung the door open. Akira trudged in, the awkwardness still lingering so vividly in her memory.

"Well that was an interesting dinner," she said, plopping onto the bed. The guys all went to their sections of the room – their bed area – and began to change. Akira looked away and squeezed her eyes shut to avoid their bare chests. She heard chuckles from behind her and she knew they did so purposely to make her feel uncomfortable. Subtly, she heard someone turn on the televison and begin to flip through channels.

"_You_ seemed to have fun," Shikamaru replied bluntly. She hummed lightly as if not quite sure.

"It was fun in the sense that I got to know more about you guys. I'm sure if _I _asked you guys for your type, you would just deem me crazy."

"We _already _deem you cra-"

"Shut up, Kiba," she sighed. "By the way, why is our room so far from their's? Who's next door to us again?"

Shikamaru shrugged, crawling into the bed. Gaara did the same, plopping down next to Akira. "I'm pretty sure it's one of our rival soccer teams. Either 6 Hawks, or 6 Kings."

"I love how our team names are so Badass. Hawks, Kings, and we're HOT!"

Silence.

"I mean... Flames." She scratched her head and the guys smirked at her. She looked at the clock and sighed. "It's only 8. Do you guys want to do anything?"

Neji had already pulled out his book and started reading, Sasuke was in the process of changing, Kiba and was watching television, Shikamaru seemed to be asleep, and Gaara's eyes were also shut in a silent slumber beside Akira.

"Mmm. What do you want to do?" Kiba grumbled.

"... Kiba, Truth or Dare?"

_Sigh. _"Truth."

"Wuss. If you had to make out with one of the guys in the room, who would it be?"

"What the—_Akira-chan_!"

"Wuss."

"... I'm not answering that," he grumbled.

She blinked. "...I'll answer it afterwards if you do."

"Answer her question, Inuzuka," Hyuuga immediately threatened, eagerly wanting to hear Akira's answer. Kiba gulped.

"...AGGH," Kiba shouted loudly. "BUT I'M NOT GAY! I LIKE GIRLS! EVERYONE IN THIS ROOM IS A GUY EXCEPT FOR AKIRA-CHAN!"

"_What?"_

All of the roommates looked at each other. It was a muffled voice, but someone had said 'what'. Someone... not in the room.

"... You don't think that..." Akira hesitated, looking at the wall connecting their room with another.

"Actually, I _do _think that," Shikamaru groaned, pulling the covers over his head. "This is going to get troublesome."

Right on cue, there was an ominous knock on the door.

**-X-**

(1) I do NOOOOT Own 'Party Rock Anthem' by LMFAO obviously. Respective owners have all rights (:

**GOSH, WRITER'S BLOCK SUCKS RHINO ASS.**

But FINALLY, I've gotten this done! I have to say, I'm not satisfied with it at all... but I'm like that with all of my chapters. Was this satisfying for YOU? Did you want more? Was it just enough? Was it absolutely, sugar-filled and fantastic? **Leave a review and I'll love you to bits! (:**

I DON'T KNOW IF IT WAS A MISTAKE BRINGING SHOU, MAX AND HIKARI INTO THE STORY! I mean, they're side characters, and the only reason I added them was because I didn't want 'the world to revolve around Akira and her 5 guy friends' because surely they can't be the only 5 who have noticed her femininity by now, right?

Lol, and all the Guys' 'Types'? Yah, I had to ask my guy friends and cousins for those. You'd be amazed at how nasty some of them got, and how sweet and romantic some of them were! I tried to keep a balance of both. Is there any expert of Masculinity who wants to put a word in and give me some advise as to how to make it more accurate?

Sorry for ranting, but when I get this far with a story, it starts to really get to me! What do you think so far? **Please be sure to leave a meaningful review? I LOVE ranting ones! They give me so much joy!**


	10. Breather ::10::

**25 reviews last chapter. I am seriously feeling the love. I am feeling the love BIG TIME.**

**IN EXCHANGE, HERE IS GAARA FLUFF! ALDSKFMADF. **I love him to bits, that one. Seriously. And plus, he needs more love from everybody! So does Shino and Chouji, actually... *sigh* I should have included them! Stupid me for not thinking of it at the time of debuting this story! D': Maybe I'll include them later, haha? ;D

Anyways, here's chapter 10! We've finally made it to a double-digit! Hip Hip Hooray! 8D

**-X-**

When no one got up to answer the first knock, it came again, with double the force and reverberation. Whoever was on the other side wasn't someone with bagfuls of patience to give away. That only made Akira gulp harder.

All at once the boys started shuffling around the room. Akira stifled a gasp as Kiba and Sasuke flicked on the washroom light and shoved her in. The door closed promptly behind her just as she heard another 3 raps outside. She leaned close to the washroom door, barely making out Sasuke's words. 'Lock it', he said. She bit her lip and pressed the button down to lock the door; suddenly very paranoid over whether it would hold.

"Open up, ladies!" came a male voice from outside, and she could make out the casual click of the main door. She forced herself to calm down, quieting her breathing so that she could remain by the door and listen to what was happening outside.

"What do you want?" Shikamaru's voice spoke, the words coming out in a lazy slur. She couldn't help but smile at how good he was at acting casual and annoyed.

There was a moment of pause, as if the guy on the other side was taking his sweet time to answer. Did he see through Shikamaru's act? Was he looking into the room to see if there really was a female? Would he think to look into the washroom? Akira scowled: so many questions, but not a single answer!

"We overheard you blabbermouths talking," he announced, his tone teasing and arrogant. "Something about a girl being in the room. Thought we'd check it out."

Akira bit her lip, her eyes suddenly widening. The washroom light was on! They could see the light from the foot of the door! Stupid, stupid, stupid!

If she turned off the light now, it would be way too obvious that there was someone in here, and someone _hiding. _She calmed herself down. _Okay, let's just hope that this guy is an idiot and doesn't notice. Just don't let him into the room, Shikamaru..._

"A girl?" the voice belonged to Neji. "You must've heard wrong. Everyone in this building from Konoha is a guy, with the exception of our coach."

"Oh, we noticed your coach, alright." He snorted. "Female coach. That's almost as big of a joke as a female soccer player."

Her jaw dropped open before she could even stop herself. _That. Sexist. ASS!_

"Hey now, there are female soccer players, Tanaka," the voice was gruff, and he talked with the same swagger as the first guy, who Akira guessed to be 'Tanaka'.

Tanaka made a 'hmph' noise. "Yeah. _Lousy ones."_

Akira couldn't even stop herself from letting out a shaky exhale from her noise. _If I didn't risk being discovered, I would SACK that guy so hard right now, he'd scream like the little girl he really is on the inside. Then we'll see who's the real 'lousy one'._

"Dude, shut the door. What's taking so long?" Kiba pitched. Akira could hear from the glitching noise that he was probably carelessly flipping the channels.

"Well wait just a second here, ladies," Tanaka chuckled. "I'm not stupid."

"Of course not," Sasuke intercepted sarcastically.

"Watch it, Uchiha." So this Tanaka guy knew of the famous Uchiha pretty boy, did he? Judging by the intense rivalry that happened when they first arrived at the hotel, Akira concluded that these guys were no strangers to each other.

"I know what I heard on the other side of this wall." His voice was getting closer, so there was no doubt that he was suddenly in the room. Wasn't there a rule about that? Well, maybe not, because everyone was a guy, but there should at least be an issue between teams, right?

Apparently not.

"So," Tanaka snarled, "where exactly is this _Akira-chan?"_

She sucked in a breath and held it. _Sh*t. I'm so dead. He even remembered my name. MY NAME._

"Well?" came the voice, when no one replied. They were probably all in a similar state of shock as Akira, too speechless for words, or maybe they just couldn't think of anything to say to that.

Or both.

"Huh, that? If that's why you came into the room, then you're out of luck." Shikamaru advised. "Akira is Kiba's girlfriend."

_...WHAT?_

"Uh... she is? OH. SHE IS." Akira heard the shuffling of bed sheets and leaned in even closer to the door, careful not to knock anything over. What was happening?

"Your... girlfriend?" came the gruff voice of Tanaka's companion.

"Look for yourself; there's a picture of her on his phone," Shikamaru said. Akira's eyes widened: _WHAT? HE—BUT... Shikamaru better know what the frick he's doing..._

There was a long silence that followed, but Akira couldn't see what was happening.

"... Is... that so..." Tanaka stammered, sounding a bit disappointed. "Then I supposed we were wrong..."

Akira broke out into a grin. Whatever, as long as they were clear.

"Hey, why's the washroom light turned on?"

She could have slapped herself, or hit her head against the wall, but she had to keep the noise level down or else further dig her own grave. Therefore, she just cursed internally. _WHY. ON. EARTH. DID. I. JINX. IT? MOTHER CHUGGING, GAAH!_

"What?" It was Shikamaru's voice. His composure had slipped slightly. "That's..."

Summoning up her courage, Akira carefully lowered her voice and strained it somehow for effect. "Can't a guy take a dump in peace?"

Akira held her breath. Had her voice sounded too fake? Would 'sh*t' have been received better than 'dump'? Agh!

A knock came at the door and she stiffened. "Calm down, Murakami. We're almost done."

Shikamaru was a much better actor than Akira would have _ever_ expected.

She heard shuffling outside, followed by grunting and some muttered words that she couldn't hear. When the door clicked outside, a silence followed, but she was too scared to unlock until instructed.

Two knocks came, followed by a chuckle. "Done with your business, Murakami?"

Akira opened the door with a large grin on her mouth, looking at Shikamaru hopefully. "Everything went okay?"

He nodded, and Kiba leaped off the bed and landed in front of her. "Good save with the dump! But your voice sounded waaay too fake. Wannabe baritone?"

"Hey," she growled. "I was trying to sound more like a masculine guy..."

He chuckled. "Even we don't sound like that, Akira-chan~"

"Well, maybe that's just saying something about your masculinity."

"HEY."

Laughing, she abruptly sported a frown. "By the way... what was up with the whole 'Akira is Kiba's girlfriend'?"

Neji snorted. "Thanks to you not having a cellphone, I had to hand mine over and find a picture of Hinata to pass as you. It worked, though."

"Not like you'd find a picture of myself on my cell, anyway," she retorted. "Do I _look_ like the type to point a camera at myself and make cute, girly faces?"

"You look more like the type to _shun _that kind of thing," Gaara inputted, a smirk playing on his lips. Akira held a blush back and muttered under her breath about 'not knowing whether he means that in a positive or negative light...'

Sasuke was resting against the headboard of his bed, both his arms folded behind his head. "Tanaka hasn't shaken off any of his douche-baggery. Still has the nerve to walk into our room like he owns it."

"I could totally see _you _doing that too, Sasuke," Akira taunted, shooting him a sly smirk. Sasuke gave her a fake glare, holding back the lift of his lips that threatened to undermine his dignity.

Three knocks came at the door as every body in the room stiffened. Were the jerks from next-door back?

"I know you're in there, Maggies! Hide your porn and open the damn door!" The voice belonged to Anko, and a blushing Akira ran over to let her in. Anko stood with both hands on her hip and bearing her teeth in a smile.

"Someone tell me what time it is!" Everyone blinked and glanced over at the clock; 8:06 p.m. "It's eight o'clock, maggies, so you know what that means: half an hour 'til quiet time and I expect y'all to be whispering, got it?"

With nods and mutters in reply, Anko shrugged. "A'right, Maggots. Curfew is nine o'clock, and I know full well that some of y'all will cheat it out, so I'll say now that I won't stop you hormone-raging teenagers. Just know that when morning comes, whether or not you can get up, it's not an option. You get one wake up call and if you choose to ignore it... well, you pay the consequences, got it?"

"Yes, Coach." One last smirk, and she muttered a 'night, maggots' and proceeded to leave. Akira let the door close and turned to the rest of her roommates.

"So... When exactly do we wake up so that we have to sleep at _nine?"_

Kiba snorted. "Didn't you check the S.O.E?"

"...S-O-E?"

"Sequence of Events," Shikamaru clarified, passing her a small piece of paper. "The Schedule."

"Ahh..." She skimmed through the timetable, eyes widening when she got to the top of the page for tomorrow. "WE HAVE TO WAKE UP AT FIVE?"

"Nine to five provides all eight hours of 'required' sleep, babe," Kiba chuckled, earning a glare from Akira (and everyone else in the room) for his childish reference. (1)

She blew at her bangs, feeling frustrated and sick to the stomach at the thought of the early morning in store. "What are we doing at _five in the morning _that we can't do at like.._. __ten?"_

"P.T," they all answered.

Akira glowered. "Stop using abbreviations! I've obviously never been here before so I don't know what the heck they mean!"

"Physical Training," Gaara informed, his voice monotonic.

"... You're kidding, right?" But as she looked down at the schedule, she saw, just under the five o'clock wake up, ten minutes later was 'Physical Training'.

"...Unholy hell..."

Shikamaru was fighting to bite back his smirk, too. It was funny to see Akira look so helpless. Obviously, she wasn't torn over the fact that they would be in physical _pain,_ but more over the fact that they were waking up early. "Won't be so bad once you get used to the cold morning air. The training warms you up and wakes up your senses."

She gulped. "What... exactly do they make us do? Just run laps?"

"Yes," Neji continued, "Wall sits, push-ups, sit-ups, burpies, squats, tons of other drills..."

"Nothing we haven't already done," Sasuke smirked, but Akira could only whimper.

"But more importantly, _not_ sleeping," she mourned.

Kiba scoffed, "Thank you, Captain Obvious."

She took a seat on her bed, next to Gaara, whose eyes were closed and he looked like he was drifting off to sleep if not already unconscious. "Good luck trying to wake me up tomorrow."

"We'll wake you up," came the voice of the redhead behind her. His tone was firm, and his words did all the convincing. Akira sighed, knowing full well that Gaara would go to painful means if necessary to force her up.

"We're always punished as a group, Hayashi," Neji elucidated.

"Let me guess: It builds teamwork?"

"Captain Obvious strikes again~" She hurled a pillow in Kiba direction, which he caught and hugged to his chest, chuckling. Hiding her smirk at his contagious laughter, she dug into her bag and pulled out her toothbrush and toothpaste.

After she came out from brushing her teeth, she scanned the room. Kiba and Neji were slouched and staring at the Television with mild interest. Sasuke and Shikamaru were in the midst of changing, which consisted of changing out of their current shirts and into new ones. Gaara was resting with his eyes closed on the bed. Akira took note of how he slept _above_ the blanket, not even bothering to cover his exposed arms and feet. Walking over, she gingerly sat on the bed, silently observing the rest of her roommates.

She glanced at the clock. It was about fifteen minutes to nine.

"What exactly does this bootcamp do," her voice was surprisingly soft and subdued, making the guys unknowingly pay more attention, "other than build on our teamwork and physical capabilities?"

"Well, it's a first come first serve kind of sign up, and since it's reimbursed, we come nearly every year. We're basically brought here to build teamwork, endurance, and other stuff. We get to play against the other schools, too," Kiba stated, making Akira's head perk up.

"What? You mean... we'll be playing against them?"

"Yeah. We'll get to know them and get _real close, _too," he snarled, and the rest of the guys in the room seemed to react similarly or with an amused smirk.

"Ahh... so it's like that..." Akira was engaged now, curious and alarmed at the new information she was hearing. "So... those guys we saw today... we'll be playing against them?"

"Isn't that what I just said?" Kiba growled, cranky from the lack of interesting channels on the television. "They usually only take one team from each city, so the fastest team from each place gets chosen. Pretty cool, since we're usually the exact same teams who make it to Nationals."

Surprisingly, Shikamaru added something in, too. "Many teams stop signing up because this camp is pretty brutal. Since our madwoman of a coach makes us run ten laps for a warm-up, we won't be in for too much of a change, but a lot of teams can't handle it so they don't sign up."

"Kings, Hawks, Avalanche, and uh... some other guys always make it Nationals. Of course, we do, too," Kiba pressed the television off, maneuvering himself into his covers, "So yeah. After all this is over, we play our city games, and then..."

"We'll have decided who's going to the Nationals," Akira finished, finally registering all the information. "Did... you guys go to Nationals last year?"

With several smirks in her direction, Akira laughed. "Wow. You guys really _are _good."

"You have no idea, babe." With another pained exclamation, Kiba grumbled, freeing himself from the pillow Neji had thrown at him.

"Sleeping already?" she muttered. "And I slept so much on the bus this morning, too..."

Shikamaru couldn't help but smirk at her. "We only have five more minutes until nine, Akira. We know from experience that you're going to need all the sleep you can get for tomorrow."

With a whimper, she climbed onto bed, noticing that Gaara's chest was rising up and down rhythmically, and his eyes were closed into narrow black slits.

However, he was still sleeping on top of the covers.

**-X-**

"Gaara..." I whispered, a bit frightful of waking him up, yet strongly desiring the warmth of sleeping under a blanket.

The light flicked off and I gulped, listening to the rest of the guys climb into bed. My eyes hadn't adjusted to the dark yet, so I very slowly bent down to feel for the linen of the bed. Tracing the edges carefully, I lifted the blanket until it wouldn't budge anymore due to the object on top of it. There was about 10 inches of space for me to squeeze into, which was barely enough room to even fit my legs.

Something in the darkness reached out and grasped a hold of my hand, and I yelped, pitching forward as the hand dragged me down onto the bed. Landing on the mattress, I blushed when the blanket floated down and I felt him shift to accommodate himself under the sheets.

"Night," Kiba initiated, and the chorus of murmurs replied to him absentmindedly, but I was too flustered to speak. I didn't think it would bother me. This was exactly how things always happened – I'd underestimate something, and it'd end up blowing up in my face. It was like boasting loudly about being fearless during a horror movie, only to be scared sh*tless and wanting to run out of the theater.

Gaara was way too close.

**-X-**

It took about two full hours before I realized that if I didn't fall asleep fast, I was going to be immensely screwed for the next day. I could hear Kiba's nightly mumblings in his sleep, as well as Sasuke groaning once in while. Neji had a bad habit of rolling around in his sleep, and I often heard a part of his body (probably his leg or arm) hit the wall with a thump. Shikamaru remained quiet, as he was a peaceful sleeper, but all the accumulated noise was already enough to make me lose my head. I even blushed and felt my heart flutter when my name was mentioned in someone's sleep by a voice I couldn't make out. The fact that I had Gaara sleeping next to me was enough to distract my thoughts from slumber to begin with! At least he didn't roll or mutter, or worse: strangle people in his sleep. I figured that I should have been grateful.

I'd have enough trouble getting up as it was without the 5AM wake-up time, and the fact that I was not going to get my eight hours of sleep felt like my brain was going on its menstrual cycle.

I gulped, wondering why the bed had heated up so much so quickly. Freeing my legs from the blanket, I scooted to the edge of the bed, hoping to create some distance. I was getting a bit too paranoid about the red-head on the other side of bed.

Gaara didn't scare me, as much as he just... intimidated me, like I was scared I wasn't good enough to be his friend. I wouldn't categorize him in the group of 'guys to potentially bawl my troubles out to', but I really did respect him. He played the role of the cold-hearted badass in our room – or _school_ – but frankly, he wasn't arrogant or conceited like Uchiha or Hyuuga. Heck, even Kiba, Shou, Hikari... every guy I had met in the school had that pride factor going on! That's not to say that Gaara wasn't prideful, but... because he was so introverted, he didn't like to tease others or beat down anyone. He never openly praised himself, or degraded others (or at least in a way that put himself higher), and I could really appreciate that. If he didn't have anything nice to say, he wouldn't say anything bad about anyone behind anyone's back. You can argue that he's just the type of guy who doesn't like to talk, _period_, but I think there's something deeper than that. Whether it was shyness or self-esteem problems, sometimes, Gaara just seemed...

... Insecure?

I blushed, the thought not registering with the 'intelligent' parts of my brain (no matter how small and minute they may be). Did I really just jump to that conclusion, about the same guy who pinned me down in the library and my body tingle in a way that I thought only existed in storybooks? _Bloody heck, what is wrong with me?_

As my face rose in temperature, so did the rest of my body. I scooted more over to the left, eager to separate us even further—

My body tipped off the perimeter of the mattress, but before I could plummet out of bed and off the mattress, a hand grasped mine, and another around my waist, pulling me towards the center of the bed...

... And his body, too.

"Idiot," he hissed.

My voice was lost in my throat for a few seconds, the feeling of his breath on my lips enough of an indicator of the distance between us, or lack thereof. "Th-thanks, Gaara-kun..."

"If you're not going to sleep, at least don't fall off," he breathed, making my cheeks plump with blood and my body limp from how tightly his grip was on me. His hand was still on my wrist and waist. Maybe it was just me, but it almost seemed like the whole position was too comfortable.

Way. Too. Comfortable.

I pulled away and muttered an apology. His hold on me didn't loosen, as if he was determined to keep me locked in that position. The possibility made me blush even further, if it was possible, and I found myself daring to look up and make out his brilliant azure eyes in the darkness. He just stared at me, and I was left with the bold option of looking away or staring back. The fact that he was still holding me so tightly meant that he wanted something; so looking away would only prove me to be 'weak'. I needed Gaara to know that I was strong, and I was capable of taking what he threw at me.

"You're hot." I knew right away from the tone he used that he was playing with me, taunting me with the double meaning. I scowled, averting my gaze: So much for 'strong and capable'.

"You're just cold," I retorted, careful to keep the volume of my voice to a low, as the rest of the boys were still sleeping. As the words left my mouth, I noticed just how ironic the statement really was, with the type of character he exuded, and the current temperature of his skin. Were we really sleeping under the same blanket? Was it even possible for the two of us to be such contrasting temperatures?

Wordlessly, his grip loosened and the hand encased around my wrist disappeared. He retracted his arms back to his sides, no longer gracing me with their breathtaking coolness against my internal inferno.

"Sleep."

"Y-yeah..." I stammered. My eyes had long adapted to the darkness, and I could make out his features and side profile through the darkness of the room. He was lying on his back now instead of away from me. I was facing him, lying comfortably on my right.

"Gaara?" I whispered in inquiry. I waited patiently, but no answer came.

It didn't take long to understand that I just wasn't going to get one.

I exhaled, freeing my lungs of the air I was holding. Instead of being immature and trying to get a rise out of someone who could potential beat my ass to a bloody pulp, I focused my eyes closed and willed myself to sleep.

I woke up in the middle of the night to find someone's arm wrapped around me. I could only remember the soft, rapid beat of his heart as it lulled me back to sleep, as if apologizing for pulling me from my dreams. I was too tired to open my eyes or process the thought, but I knew that there was only one person it could be.

But I didn't mind.

**-X-**

**End Chapter.**

(1) I'm sorry, but I had to do it. 'Childish Reference'? He called her babe? Get it? TEEHEEHEE~

I apologize for shortness, but I felt that I should lay back from monster chapters. You guy just have to pay the price of waiting way too long for them, and I'd rather not squish 7000 words into one chapter. This was 4000 words, but I've already blueprinted the future chapters, so lets hope nothing obstructs my writing time again...

This was more of a chapter to scrape off my rust, LOL. I'll spring back, I promise ;) **Please review if you have time, but I understand if you wanna be all ghosty on me ^^''**

_NEXT CHAPTER:_ Your first full day of bootcamp! Can't wait for the fun to get kickin', can ya? xD


	11. Who's Akira? ::11:

****IMPORTANT: **I rewrote some things last chapter, just regarding the boot camp. It is NOT preliminary games, and instead, just a training camp, which means that city games will still have to commence in order to advance to nationals.  
And one last thing: These guys ARE in grade 12, or 'Third Year' in Japanese terms. I believe I placed her into Grade 11, but after some deliberation, I thought 12 would be better, making these lads 16-17, or 17-18, depending on their month of birth.

THAT IS ALL! READ ON! :DD

**-X-**

He guffawed at the sight of me. "Epic eye bags, Hayashi!"

"Shut up, Shou," I grunted, not wanting more noise to enter my ears than necessary. I was grumpy, and it sucked all the more that I was drained of energy due to my lack of sleep. Unfortunately, I didn't wake up with a fresh morning face, freshly caked with make-up and smooth, glistening skin. I groaned, wondering why on earth I hadn't had the decency to put on some lotion or something to soothe my dry skin. The cold was sucking away all the moisture from my skin, most notably my face. I didn't always wake up with dark circles, but the day I did, it was just further proof that the night had sucked. The only plus was that almost all the guys – save for exceptions like Kiba, Shou, and a few other energy-drink-powered guys - looked about the same as me: messy bed hair, hunched postures, squinted eyes and frowns, and no one here was going to make fun of me for not 'looking cute'. Of course, they still looked perfectly presentable, with their gifts in facial features.

_Well, screw them. They can kiss my unattractive ass. _I thought bitterly, the cold wind whipping at my skin. At least I had the decency to wear a long-sleeved shirt and sweatpants to shield myself from the chilly weather. Regardless of the weather, I was the only one so guarded against the cold, because when I looked left and right upon arriving to the outdoor field, nearly everyone was wearing T-shirts and Gym Shorts.

_They can kiss my cold ass, too. _

"Where the hell is our coach?" Sasuke hissed, eyes narrowing to a not-so-pretty extent. It was almost funny to find the Royal Uchiha so irritated, but every guy on the team was feeling the same frustration.

"We have Kakashi again, don't we?" Kiba remarked, stretching his arms over his head. "You might as well give up hope of him showing up in the next hour. We're stuck with Anko's crazy warm-ups again."

"It's not like Hatake's would be any better," Neji inputted, a scowl on his face. I didn't even say anything, too tired and disgruntled to use any more energy than necessary.

"This is all so troublesome..." As Shikamaru's words finished, Anko had about enough waiting for this 'Kakashi' person, and just like Kiba had said, she demanded another one of her grievous warm-ups.

We started out by jogging six laps for warm-up, followed by a grievous set of 50 pushups, sit-ups, burpees, and wall climbers, repeated in a sequence _four times._

Anko must have gotten a lot of sleep. She was in a good mood, parading past our rows with a knowing leer on her face. She even let us go on our knees for our fourth round of pushups, oh boy!

By the end of the training, my body was _severely _feeling the burn. With arms and legs burning from exhaustion, my throat and lungs were on fire, making it hard and painful to breathe. I wanted to collapse and just lie there on the ground, my gag reflexes struggling to keep under control.

"That Kakashi: every year he's like this!" Anko grumbled, face finally matching the anger on the teams' face. "HATAKE KAKASHI! GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE!"

I whimpered pathetically at Anko's raspy voice booming in volume, making me clutch my ears. I plugged my ears, desperate to ease the dizziness in my head. I felt someone lean on me for support, and as much as I didn't appreciate the extra weight, I knew that everyone was tired, so I didn't mind him doing so.

"He's... here..." the person said, and I recognized the voice to be Kiba's. He rested his arms on my shoulders and I unplugged my ears and looked over.

A tall, slender man, probably in his late twenties was walking down the pathway to the turf we were on. Immediately what struck me was his long silver hair that seemed to defy gravity from the way it stood up by itself, though its movement proved too soft and flexible to be styled by gel or hairspray. Weird...

His face was masked, and he wore a dark blue headband that was pulled down in a slant to cover one eye. Basically, all we could see was his right eyes, and only a portion of his nose bridge and eyebrow!

"Why's... face..." I attempted, but luckily Kiba understand what I meant. He seemed to have regained his breath and energy a lot faster than me, the darn athlete.

"Nobody really knows. Some say he's got a bunch of scars hidden underneath, or that he's really ugly. You get used to it after a while, so you stop caring."

"Since you guys are all warmed up, we can already move on," came the low voice of Kakashi. There was a twinge of Shikamaru's tone to it, as if this Kakashi person was a laid-back kind of guy. From the way he was over an hour late, I wouldn't be surprised if he had enough laziness to give Shikamaru a run for his money. "For those who don't already recognize me from previous years, I'm Kakashi, your soccer camp personnel for this week. Nice to meet you all."

"Keep up," left his mouth, and my teammates immediately complied, weak and exhausted from physical exertion. We were like lambs, being dragged to the slaughter, eyes downcast and postures slouched. It was early. It was cold. We were just so tired.

Anko didn't follow us, and instead left to go elsewhere. We left the turf and ventured into a forest-like setting. Dried leaves crunched under our soles and tall trees surrounded us. I lifted a brow at Shikamaru, who shrugged his shoulders at me. So this wasn't normal, and he didn't know what was up Kakashi's sleeve either.

"Stop here." We had approached a large wooden wall, triple my height, stationed snugly in-between two large trees. "This is your first challenge. Your objective is to successfully maneuver your entire team up and over this wall. But it's not as simple as it sounds..."

"There will be no use of any additional equipment," he went on. "No ropes, no safety cushioning, no sharp objects to impale the wall with in order to climb, and most importantly," he paused for dramatic effect, "no voices."

I couldn't help but raise my brows. No talking? Why was that even necessary, nevertheless important enough to deliberately take-out? Sure, it might prove a bit harder, but it surely didn't deserve a suspenseful 'most importantly'.

"The more time I waste explaining, the less time you guys have to complete this. I will be timing the moment the first person attempts his cross-over, so be warned that you don't have all day," Kakashi crossed his arms over his chest, staring us all down.

"Isn't that a bit... unsafe?" Hikari remarked, surprising the team with the different voice. "What happens if we fall while trying to go over?"

"That isn't my concern." I dropped my jaw. _What? _Couldn't we sue for this? Someone could seriously get hurt while trying to climb the wall, and fall backwards and damage something!

"That's—" Shou began, only to quiet himself down with the help of Hikari's firm gaze. I was beginning to feel very uneasy about the whole ordeal. This was horribly thought out!

_It's a test of physical strength. _I gritted my teeth. _To see if you can push yourself and strategize a way to get over..._

"On the other side of the wall is a platform. It can only hold four people at a time, so once you get over, you can come back down to the ground and wait for the rest of your team mates to get over. You get one minute to discuss your strategy with your team, share ideas and brainstorm," Kakashi's hard expression never left. The faces of my teammates grew more and more agitated. He must have expected this. "Remember that this is a test. I am always evaluating you as a team. After this minute, there is to be no more talking. You may begin discussing."

"I've climbed a wall like this before," Ryusuke grinned. "This one's a little higher than the one I climbed... But I'm sure I can get myself up there, no problem. All of you guys just watch what I do, and we can get through this!"

Guys began exchanging words of encouragement, though some continued to have grim faces. There were probably a few guys who were more or less starting to doubt their physical ability to hoist themselves up a wall; some might have even been scared of heights, but didn't dare to voice it out.

I looked at Shikamaru. He looked distressed, or deeply concentrated, to the point where he looked angry. I said his name softly, and he met my eyes.

"I..." I began. He seemed to sense my worry. As much as I didn't want to face it, I wasn't exactly a representative of great upper body strength. Hoisting myself over that wall didn't require as much leg muscle as it did arm muscle to chin-up myself over the edge. Gosh, when was the last time I even did a chin-up? "I don't think I can..."

"Have confidence in yourself. Don't worry. We're here for you." I gulped at his words. I felt so pathetic. I should have the faith to get through it, but I was beginning to feel the strain of exhaustion, and my scrawny figure in comparison to these gorgeously toned boys.

"15 seconds left," Kakashi informed.

"Um... For safety," I said loudly, and people began turning towards me. "Shouldn't we... uh... like, try to make a safety net? Kakashi-sensei said it wasn't his concern, but it obviously is _our _concern for our safety as a team, right?"

"We can make the people on the ground put their hands up behind the person going up, incase he falls or something. We have to look out for each other," Kiba inputted, shooting me a glance. I smiled back at him. A few agreeing murmurs went around, but peoples' worries weren't relieved.

"Minute's over. When the first person makes contact with the wall, my timer starts. No more talking."

Ryusuke nodded to us all, making us back up to give him a running start. With a powerful leap, he scraped his sneakers against the wall, bounding up a step. We rushed in underneath him to put out our hands as a safety net incase he fell. He tried hoisting himself, but to no avail. He landed back down on his feet, scowling.

Ryusuke, who had been our example to get up the wall, had failed. Teammates offered helping hands, but he ushered us away to give him room. His second attempt failed just as fast, as he tried to use the tree trunk for better grip with his sneakers, but it didn't work. It was soon clear that it was simply too high for him to get over through jumping alone.

I felt Shikamaru's hand on my shoulder. He was looking at me with a harsh look, before he mouthed something with his lips. I blinked, not quite catching the form of his lips. I mouthed a 'what', hoping he would repeat it. He mouthed the word to me again, and this time, I could a bit of his breath behind it, making it a gentle whisper.

'Teamwork'. I blinked, the message slowly forming in my head. Kakashi's words repeated in my mind.

_"Remember that this is a test. I am always evaluating you as a team."_

_As a team._

I was wrong. This wasn't a test of physical strength at all. Strength was only a very minor part of what this challenge was really about!

Ryusuke was going in for his third attempt, running towards the wall. We rushed in again, hands up high incase he fell backwards, but this time Shikamaru and I pushed past to the front of the group, right in front of the wall, and grabbed hold of Ryusuke's feet. He was surprised, from the way he stopped kicking and looked down at us, but Shikamaru and I grunted in unison as we offered him our strength. Some of the guys up in front, most noticeably my room mates, immediately understood what we were trying to do, and put their hands under Ryusuke's shoes as well, all of us pushing with our might to drive Ryusuke upwards.

The weight eventually left our hands as Ryusuke effectively found his bearings on the edge and pulled himself up. I couldn't help it as my face broke out into a grin, and I began enthusiastically clapping. Others started clapping as well, probably as relieved as I was that the whole ordeal wasn't as impossible as it seemed. I shared a gaze at my teammates, whose faces were starting to relax.

We could do this. We _would _do this, and as a team.

I glanced around to find the face of Kakashi, the instructor of this challenge. It was hard to see what he was thinking, what with his face all covered up, but he caught my eyes in a stare down. I looked away quickly, proud of Shikamaru and my team for figuring out the essence of the challenge.

We heard the footsteps of Ryusuke coming down, as if there were wooden stairs. It must have been a platform on the other side, then stairs leading down the ground. At least it wasn't a frightening ninety-degree drop that you had to land on without any cushioning. We would have a safe trip down, despite the difficulty going up.

Neji and Kiba squatted slightly lower, their fingers laced together and facing upwards: a position ready to hoist the next person up. I felt someone nudge me forward, looking back to see that it was Shikamaru. He was giving me another hard gaze. I gulped, a bit relieved that we had at least found an effective method, but still not comfortable with people completely supporting my weight.

_Gosh, maybe I should have watched what I was eating before coming here. How much do I even weigh now? _And the thought of Neji and Kiba knowing approximately how heavy I was... oh gosh...

Mustering up my courage, and remembering that we were being timed, I stepped forward, slapping the bottom of my shoes quickly to rid them of dirt and soil. With my heart thumping hard, I gingerly stepped onto Kiba's hands before boldly stepping up onto Neji's. I let out an unintentional squeak when I fell backwards, to feel hands behind my back reassuringly. Neji and Kiba lifted me up quickly, and I began to forget that their hands solely supported my weight.

I grasped tightly onto the ledge of the wall, grunting to swing one foot over the edge so I was hugging the ledge. Kiba must have jumped to give me one last hoist of the other foot. I was wondering why I had gotten up so much faster than Ryusuke. He obviously was bulkier and more muscular than me. How come we took so long—

My brows flew up as the thought processed. _Ryusuke is a lot bigger than me, so obviously he weighs more! I'm lighter, so it's easier for them to push me up! But whether you get the lighter ones out of the way first or last, it doesn't really matter. In the end, everyone has to come up. It's just a matter of us coming up faster... Maybe Shikamaru wants to get the lighter ones out of the way first?_

I remembered Shikamaru's hard look. I was standing on the platform on the other side of the wall. The next guy coming up was none other than Sasuke, which surprised me. Sasuke was _not _a scrawny guy. Was I simply thinking too much of Shikamaru picking me, someone lighter, to go next—?

No. That wasn't it. He was looking at me again, holding my gaze, mouthing me something. I struggled to see the words he was forming. He just looked like he was opening his mouth and closing it, like he was obnoxiously chewing gum. What on earth was he saying?

I shook my head at him, sorry that I didn't understand what he meant. He frowned back at me, sympathy coming from his eyes to say 'It's okay'. I turned away to go down the stairs, since I had to get out of Sasuke's way when he came up—

_...WAIT. No I don't! _I gasped, breaking out into a grin, finally understanding what Shikamaru was trying to tell me. The puzzles added together in my brain, and I quickly turned around and leaned over the edge, offering both hands to the Uchiha who was just coming up. Sasuke grabbed onto my hands, a bit surprised, and I pulled him up towards me as the guys on the bottom pushed. Sasuke successfully made it onto the other side. I looked down at Shikamaru, who was smirking up at me, giving me a thumbs-up. I simpered internally, giving him a grin. That little genius: he had figured it all out. He had been telling me to 'stay'.

I was lighter than most of the guys here, which would make me easier to get on the other side. The faster I was on the other side, the faster I could contribute by pulling the next guy up, so we were much more efficient. Shikamaru was such a smartass, and I was smug knowing that I was able to barely meet his expectations.

_Kakashi said a maximum of four people on the platform, and it wasn't mandatory to go back down. He had strategically worded it to make it seem like we had to immediately go back down. _Shou came up next, and Sasuke and I each grabbed a hand, heaving him up promptly. Shou made the gesture to switch with me, so I let him, seeing as he was probably stronger than me in terms of upper body strength anyway. I went down the stairs, becoming part of the safety-net swarm. We were making really good progress, all thanks to our good teamwork foundation. I could see from the faces of my teammates that this wasn't nearly as hard as we thought. We had this!

It took us a while of almost-falls, scrambling, grunting, dirt flying on faces, and a whole lot of blood drainage from the arms, but our entire team made it over the wall without any casualties. By the end of it, we all turned to look at Kakashi, whose expression was masked, quite literally!

"Less than six minutes. Not bad." He whipped away his timer, shoving it in his pocket.

"While you're playing a game; when you're playing soccer with a bunch of friends. When you're shooting that goal, or sprinting to intercept that pass - Who can tell me what the most important thing is?"

A hand went up. "Having fun?"

"More," he demanded.

Someone else piped up. "Teamwork!"

"Another."

"Polished skill?"

"Again."

"...Winning?"

Kakashi frowned, the form of his mouth beneath his mask giving his emotions away, as well as the furrowing of his brow. "I'm looking for someone more broad, boys."

His eyes landed briefly on me, and I gulped. Why was he looking at me like that? It's not like he knew who I was.

"You. You're the team's Striker, aren't you?" I stiffened, bowing slightly out of nervousness.

"Y-Yes!"

"What's the most important thing?" He was looking at me intensely. Why do people look at me like that, like I'm supposed to read their eyes? I'm not psychic!

I ignored the little voice, nagging me as to how on earth he knew I was the Striker, and struggled with my answer. "W-Well... I guess, uh..."

_Find your words, Hayashi. He's in no position to intimidate you. Let him have it, if he really wants a piece of your mind! _I gulped, again ignoring the nagging that I was wrong: he was obviously in a position to intimidate me.

"Effort and an open-mind," I answered pitifully, hating how it sounded once it came out of my mouth. "Everyone has their own reasons, whatever it may be, but you have to have the motivation and commitment to stick with your reason and reach for the goal. Whether it's having fun, building teamwork, keeping fit or whatever, you should... uh... always give it your best." I hated myself for stammering. Was my voice too high? Did I sound like a stupid girl trying too hard to blend in with a group of boys?

"Why an open-mind?" he pressed, making my thoughts scramble once again in frenzy.

"Uhh... If you have one reason, and one reason _only_ to do something, you'll never fully appreciate it or value the experience as much as you should... You should be able to grasp an experience with an open-mind in order to absorb everything it has to offer. "

_WHY. DO I FREAKIN' TALK SO MUCH. WHEN I'M NERVOUS? _I sighed heavily, looking at Shikamaru briefly for some comfort. He smirked at me, but the reddening of my cheeks only stayed.

"Very good," he said, alarming me. He actually understood what I was saying? The more I spoke, the more misconstrued it felt.

"Everyone has their own reasons for doing something. There are many big ones, _common _ones that people may share. The ones that came up are very good examples. Some will play soccer to win, others to have fun, and many to simply improve their skill set. Whatever your reason is, that's your own personal business. What I am here to do is give you the foundations of what it means to be a team playing soccer together. One of which is teamwork."

"Every man for himself." Out of his pocket, Kakashi whipped out what looked like a flimsy chopstick. "This mindset does not work in the game of soccer, or for any team sport. You may find loopholes in my words and use it to mock the philosophy of a team, but the basic idea will always stand. Alone as you are, others will easily crush you."

With a resonating _snap, _the wooden chopstick was broken in half. Kakashi promptly shoved it back into his pocket and pulled out a bundle of chopsticks, making my lip twitch. This was rather comical.

"As a united team," he held out the chopsticks, "you are much harder to break or crush. But of course, that is not to say you won't still be broken."

I gasped when the chopsticks broke in half from the center. Outrageous! How strong was this Kakashi guy?

"You can use the same metaphor with a piece of paper in comparison to a phone book. Which is easier to rip in half? You may insulate that piece of paper, shield it with what you can, but why insulate one when you can insulate twenty?"

"We're a great team," Ryusuke said boldly. From the look on his face, he was feeling a bit offended. Maybe he thought Kakashi was referring to him as having the 'Every man for himself' mindset, which pointed fingers at him. "We didn't catch on as quickly, but we work together terrifically."

"Very true. You're the second team I've seen to use the method of someone pulling from up top. You'd be surprised at how many guys never resorted to working together, and depended primarily on his own strategy to get up the wall, as if the rest of the guys on his team weren't any of their business. Many teams have regrettably not even thought of safety. Of course, I stepped in before anything started and made sure that they put it into consideration, though it just meant they were docked off major marks." At his words, I snuck another peak at Shikamaru, giving him a gentle nudge. He stifled a smile, but I'm sure he knew I was praising him. After all, he figured it out before any of us even got started, but he hadn't voiced it quickly enough to escape the 'no talking' rule.

"Now I know that Teamwork won't be a big issue with this team. I don't need to waste lesson time building the foundation from rock bottom. It's time to get started on individual qualities."

I tensed, feeling him working on our nerves again, building our excitement and suspense. His eyes landed on me again, but I didn't look away this time. Something was fishy about why he was paying attention to me, but I wasn't going to allow him the pleasure of seeing me crumble under his gaze.

Kakashi told us to follow him again, and we complied. This time, we weren't lambs going to the slaughter together. We were merely lions moving together as a pack.

**-X-**

Kakashi watched in amusement as faces fell at the sight of the obstacle course - all except one. There was one lone player grinning from ear to ear, eyes taking in the extravagant challenge. Kakashi contained his smirk. That was one interesting Striker.

"How on earth did this hide something this huge from us?" breathed one team member.

"This is a course only offered to senior players under the pretense that they have what it takes to complete it. You have the choice to not take this test... which will result in your expulsion from this camp immediately." Frowns, Grimaces, Glares: the usual reaction.

Except for that one Striker, still smiling so brightly.

"You're lucky for a sunny day like this. This obstacle course can get rather dangerous when slippery. I will put it bluntly: this obstacle course is meant to challenge the utmost peaks of your agility, strength, strategic thinking, and much more. Each and every person will be timed, and only one person is allowed at a time. This is not meant to be a teamwork exercise. This is where your individual training begins."

"Your objective is simple. That is your starting point, and that is where you aim to end up," Kakashi pointed at the start and end spots. "Take note of which obstacle you find the most difficult to pass and acknowledge your weakness. Watch your teammates. Obviously the first to go will have the hardest time, since they will have no examples to follow and no time to calculate what would be the best approach."

Hawks and Kings were nearby the obstacle course area. Akira recognized a few faces from the bus-unloading incident, so she knew it was one of the teams, but couldn't identify which team was which. She watched one team run laps around the track with someone shouting at them. Perhaps they had failed their teamwork lesson and were being punished.

Another team was making their way closer, giving the Konoha Flames dirty looks. It was obvious that they were on the same level as the Flames in terms of progression, because their instructor began explaining the obstacle course to them just as Kakashi had.

"Guy with spiky bleach hair, black shirt and blue shorts: Tanaka Kouji. Guy beside him with black hair is his best friend, Suzuki Akihiro." It didn't take a genius to know that Shikamaru was telling her the names of the guys from the night before. They were both fair skinned and pretty boys, even from such a distance. "They're the Hokkaido Hawks. The team running on the field is the Kyoto Kings. Far in the distance over there is a team from Okinawa or Aomori, I think."

"I see..." Obviously there were more teams than just the Hawks and Kings, but something told her that since Shikamaru didn't even know the names of any other team, they weren't as big of rivals as the aforementioned.

Kakashi's voice interrupted her thoughts. "Since we have two groups here, we'll alternate players. However, since you guys came first, it's only natural that the very first person to go would be from your team."

"Flames, take your pick." The Konoha Flames were confused. For someone who was usually mysterious and confusing at it is, his words always seemed to confuse them more than usual that day. "Since the first people to go will have the strongest disadvantage, you'll pick the opposing side's first unlucky contestant."

"That's easy," Shou snorted. The rest of the guys seemed to agree simultaneously, but Akira blinked in confusion. "Tanaka Kouji, why don't you do the honors?"

Kouji's eyes locked with Shou's in a glare down before he stepped forward, a smirk on his lips. "Nice to see you're free from your constipation, Murakami."

"Huh? Consti... What are you talking about?" Akira and her room-mates tensed. Akira had used the surname 'Murakami' the night before as a cover-up, so as far as this Tanaka guy was concern, _Shou _was the one in the bathroom! But from the way Shou reacted, it was obvious that he had no idea what Kouji was talking about.

Kouji's smirk dropped, noticing the unexpected reaction. Shou didn't know what he was talking about, and now that he thought about it, Shou's voice was very different from the one behind the washroom door. Kouji stepped forward, eyes scanning the members' faces. Shikamaru had an idea about where this was going, and he instinctively stepped in front of Akira, hoping to block Kouji's view of her.

"Akira," left Kouji's mouth, lip forming into a malicious smirk. "I want _Akira _of the Konoha Flames to go first."

Kakashi turned to face his group, eyes finding the distraught face of their Striker. He was no longer beaming as brilliantly as the sun, bouncing on his heels. He gulped, and roughly pushed past the guys to face Kouji, eyes fierce with a rage that startled Kakashi.

"Hayashi Akira," he growled_, "here."_

**-X-**

**SO I'VE BEEN THINKING. **What a shocker, eh? *sobs*

But depressing thoughts aside, I really do love this story a lot, and I really wish I had done a better job during the earlier chapters of writing this! Either way, I have strong, potential plans for the story, and I was just wondering, ehh, you know~

**I was wondering which guy you liked the most.** So why not tell me, because if there seems to be a favorite, I'll play him up a bit ^^ Gaara x OC seems to be pretty strong, but Kiba and Shikamaru aren't far behind, but not all reviewers have voiced their preference. Neji's kinda neglected by you guys **sad** I already see that many of you dislike Sasuke. But come on! He may be a misled, egotistical snob who doesn't have a respectable purpose in life and just RUINS everything in the Naruto Series, but he's still sexy and most importantly: HOTT, right? RIGHT?

Kay, I'll just keep my creepy pixel-attractions to myself. *sobs*

This story isn't going to be ending any time soon. AND IT WILL NEVER BE DISCONTINUED. So don't you guys worry at all! My update schedule might piss you guys the hell off, but in the end, I'll deliver! I SWEAR I WILL! HUZZAH! 8D

**Review if you're able to! I'll try to update lickity-split!**


	12. B Is For Battlefield ::12::

**Note: **Obstacle course is similar and inspired by** KBS's 'LET'S GO DREAM TEAM' Season 2. **((:

Enjoy the Chapter!

**-X-**

**Chapter Twelve: B is for Battlefield**

**-X-**

"I'll give you thirty seconds to analyze the obstacle course. If you have questions as to how any of them work, I'm right here." I nodded cautiously.

Ahead of me stood the obstacle course. It was giant: not some tires next to each other on the ground, or some ropes for me to climb, or some bars for me to swing across – perpendicular windmill-like contraptions spun in opposite directions of each other, rotating and spinning platforms that lifted, giant foam-like claws that clamped down on me at the very end if I didn't make it fast enough. Kakashi was on ground level, since the entire obstacle course was suspended over water, thus a level above ground. If I completely fell into the water at any point, that was considered an elimination.

I bounced on the balls of me feet, shaking my hands out. There was so much pressure, too much pressure going first. It didn't help at all that I knew Tanaka's eyes were on me with that stupid devilish glint. Both teams were seated on the sidelines of the obstacle course, which rounded like a half-moon. Every movement I made, every mistake I made, they'd be watching – and judging, for that matter. I cleared my throat, wiping my head of these insecure thoughts. I had to have confidence in myself. I glanced over at my team, waiting on the benches in anticipation. Shikamaru, Kiba, Neji, Sasuke and Gaara were all sitting side-by-side each other, and I grinned at them reassuringly. They all smiled, nodding back as everyone on my team shouted words of encouragement. The Hawks were quiet.

"Ready?" I nodded cautiously, knowing full well that it didn't matter if I was ready or not: Kakashi wasn't going to wait for me. "Press the button to start. Press the button to end."

I took a deep breath in, sending a silent wish that luck would be on my side.

And then I pressed the button.

**-X-**

The first obstacle looked simple – a fact that I was _very _angry with myself for underestimating. Ten rotating cylinders aligned next to each other, close enough for you to make it to the next one if you propelled yourself forward strong enough, but far enough for you to plummet into the water below if you lost your balance or went too slow. I gasped as my foot slipped under my pace, but I thankfully kept my balance and made it to the other side, with the help of sprinting like my life depended on it.

Jogging to the next one, I snatched the bars with all my might and tried to use momentum to make up for my lack of arm strength. I had played on monkey bars all the time as a kid, but these ones were designed to pour gallons of water down onto you every time you reached a new bar. I struggled to concentrate, to ignore the weight of my soaking clothes, and to hope no one could make out the shape of my feminine figure beneath the wet, clinging fabric. With much difficulty and chagrin, I made it passed the bars, proceeding onto the next challenge.

I could hear my team shouting praise and words of motivation. The first two obstacles must have looked like child's play to them despite the complications – the real challenge was posed at obstacle three to the end.

Next up were the swinging balls of doom. Yes, I know it sounds corny, but it was really the first name that came to mind.

Kakashi had warned me: they were heavy – made from the same material as punching bags, and from the speed they were swinging, I would be knocked right into the water if I was hit. Knowing I was pressed for time, I ignored words of caution and hurtled forward, eyes darting back and forth for incoming –

I winced when one collided my arm. I halted, waiting for one to pass, went forward, stopped, waited, ducked, went forward. Smiling, I dodged another; another; and I was more than half way there.

But my joy was short-lived as a force rammed into my side. My first instinct was to hang on. It was like a horror swing-ride, no safety belts, no safe-distance for me to fall. I gulped, realizing how much harder I had just made my life. I had attached myself to a ball of doom, swinging a full _one-twenty-degree angle._

I could swear I saw Kakashi 'face-palm' and turn away. Thankfully, I was able to time myself while coming down and successfully balance myself on the board. I maneuvered past the last few swinging obstacles. I slipped upon landing on the mat, but slammed my hands down to stop from falling off the edge and into the water. My team was quiet as they watched me hoist myself up. They clapped when I finally stood back on my feet, ready to move on. I turned around to flash an apologetic grin at Kakashi. I could swear he was laughing at me.

I took a few steps back before bolting forward and launching myself at the horizontal mills, suspending several meters above the water. My shoulders strained with the impact, but I only focused on the timing to ascend onto the next one. It came closer, closer, until finally I let go of one arm to try and reach out to grab it. I grimaced, face scrunching as I quickly retracted and held back onto my bar. I couldn't. I was too far. My arms were too short. I was too tired. My arm strength _sucked._

More shouts of condolences, reassuring me that it was all right and that I was doing great: to try again. I grit my teeth, adjusting my grip on the bar to move farther to the edge. As the bar came closer, I let out a painful grunt to transfer my weight, successfully grabbing onto it.

The two mills rotated opposite directions, tearing my arms farther apart, and as my teammates yelled out in realization of what was happening, my grip gave in and I fell 3 meters before crashing into the water.

**-X-**

She rejected the towel. She rejected the water. She rejected the consoles. She rejected the sympathy.

As Tanaka stepped up to plate, Akira sat away from her team, still drenched in both water and sweat. Her cheeks were rosy, and her breathing still somewhat ragged. Her hair was slicked back, but as she leaned forward in her seat, fingers laces together with her head ducked down, strands fell in front of her face.

She accepted the failure.

And when Tanaka finished the obstacle course with a time of 2:35, she fell deeper into her depression, head dropped in defeat. It was like she had never emerged from the water at all. It surrounded her, imprisoned her, making it hard to breath and her movements slow.

One by one, the boys pressed the button to start. One by one, the boys pressed the button the stop their time. As each of her roommates completed the course with striking speed and efficiency, they made their way over to her bench and sat next to her, not saying anything.

And by the end of an hour, everyone had attempted the course.

She followed them silently; still unforgiving of herself. Her eyes lidded. She could hear the rejoicing. She could hear the frustration. Some failed even earlier than she did, but it did nothing to comfort her.

After all the other boys had started to head back to change and get ready for lunch, the five boys stood up together and peered down at her tense features. She had fallen asleep on the spot.

Kakashi watched as the five boys gingerly awakened her, knowing she'd throw a fit if they chose to carry her. Slowly, like a newborn calf, she propped herself onto her feet and shuffled alongside them.

They accepted her meek thank you.

**-X-**

"This _kind of _makes me feel better," I remarked, shoving another spoonful of lasagna into my mouth. "Okay, maybe a bit more than 'kind of'."

"For someone your size, you sure can eat a lot."

"Shut up, Kiba. Isn't that your fifth burger?"

"Yeah. Isn't that your _tenth _plate?" I raised a hand, feigning the gesture of smacking him and he laughed, crossing his fore arms to block. I grumbled, but quickly went back to indulging in the red-orange goodness.

Sasuke raised a brow. "I thought girls obsessed about their weight."

The cafeteria was loud with chatter, and the tables far apart, so no one could really hear in on the conversations of other tables. I swallowed my last spoonful of lasagna and began cleaning my plate with scrapes.

"They do." The boys at my table gave me a look. I frowned. "_What? _Do I look like I should worry about my weight?"

"It's not really about..." Kiba shrugged. "Well, you don't work out. And you're supposed to be an athlete."

"I'm a growing boy!" I quipped, earning more 'looks'. I huffed, licking the cheesy goodness off my spoon. "You're just jealous because you're being out-eaten."

"Oh, is that a challenge?" I rolled my eyes, putting my spoon down to re-fill my plate. I only got a bit on my plate each time! That being said, I _was _going for my fifth plate... or was it my sixth? It didn't really matter...

Feeling a bit conscious of my belly, I directed myself towards the salads and fruits. I looked around briefly for the tongs, only to realize there was only one pair and it was in the rows across from me, being used by somebody.

"Hey," I said, my view of them being blocked by the metal encasing around the buffet, "could you pass me the tongs when you're done?"

"Sure," he replied, ducking down lower to hand them to me.

"Thanks!" I replied, bending lower to complete the transaction.

"No pro..." I glanced up, meeting his eyes just as he chose to glance up, "...blem."

_Oh, come on._

He gave me a devilish smirk. "Akira-san, was it?"

Anger sizzled within me, making me stand up straight so we were once again block by the metal frame. I tried to keep my voice even as I acknowledged, "Kouji Tanaka-san."

Standing up straight, he was tall enough to look over the frame, and he rested his fore arms on it for a better view of me. I half hoped that the metal frame was somehow conducting so much heat that it'd third-degree burn him. He was only wearing a T-shirt, anyway.

"So... I hear you're a girl." I glowered at him, keeping composure and making sure not to say anything that might give me away.

To distract me, I began picking fruits and vegetables onto my plate. "Really, dude? I don't even know you, yet you call me out to go first for the relay, and now you're calling me a girl? The fuck did I do to you?"

My rude language and acting seemed to throw him off, but only temporarily and he rapidly fired back, "Which room are you staying in?"

It was my turn to be thrown off. "Excuse me?"

"Room number," he repeated, eyeing me curiously. "Yours."

It took me a brief moment to realize what he was doing, which only further pissed me off. Okay, so it wasn't entirely his fault that I wasn't able to complete the obstacle course, but he sure played a huge-ass-freakin-role in it! Give me a break, buddy!

"Because I've_ clearly_ lost enough brain-cells to tell a Hokkaido Hawk," I snorted. His eyes lost their curiosity almost instantly, and maybe he was beginning to believe this lie I was acting out: that my name was Akira just by coincidence. It _was _a unisex name after all, and common!

"I don't know. That fall you took looked like it shacked you up a bit." I gave him the best glower I could muster. Which isn't very impressive, from what I've been told by a certain Uchiha, only to be further supported by the fact that Tanaka laughed at me. Loudly. "I'm open for lessons, in case you want some _pointers."_

"On what?" I dropped the tongs, realizing that my plate was piled up with fruit. "Being a fucking _douchebag? _Not interested."

With that, I turned around and noticed that Neji and Sasuke had both gotten out of their seat and had been walking towards me. They followed me with their eyes as I walked past them, carrying my full plate of fruit, and sat back down in my seat.

"What happened?" Kiba blurted bluntly. Neji and Sasuke took their seats again.

"Nothing," I grumbled, stabbing as many melons as I could with my fork – which was only two – and shoving them into my mouth. My jaw was powerful despite my physical exhaust, and the boys around me blinked.

"It's clearly not nothing," Neji pressed, as I shoved my melons into my mouth. "What did he say to you?"

"Well, he called me a girl," I watched as their eyes grew dark with menace, "but I think I convinced him out of it."

"Other than some physical aspects, nothing about you remotely resembles one," Shikamaru piped up. I elbowed him in the side.

"He was being a jerk," I sighed, munching nonchalantly.

"As if that's a surprise," Sasuke muttered under his breath, leering into his cup of coke.

"But what did he _say?" _Kiba whined, like a girl begging for information about her crush. I heaved more fruit into my mouth.

"It's not worth you guys getting protective," I explained, painfully swallowing before going on. "We didn't say much. He asked me for my room number—"

Kiba interrupted, "Room number?"

"—which I obviously didn't give to him, and then he asked me if I wanted some pointers for the obstacle course or whatever." _Stab. Stab. Chomp. Chomp. Chomp. Swallow. _"Whatever, I don't care about him. You guys shouldn't worry, either."

"I don't see why we should," Gaara was leaning back in his seat, arms crossed, "seeing as the look on his face tells us everything."

We all followed Gaara's shaded gaze to Tanaka's table, his eyebrows drawn low and his mouth stuck in a permanent scowl. He was texting somebody, thumbs dancing over his cell phone pad, but as soon as he snapped it closed, he looked up and met eyes with me. He seemed surprised that we were all looking over, but the shock soon reverted back to malice as he pulled out his chair and got up to leave with his friends.

"Looks happy to see us," Neji remarked offhandedly, smug with the discomfort Tanaka had felt with us. I smirked, finishing up the last of my fruit plate.

"He probably figured it out. Everyone eventually does." I looked at Gaara, who had just spoken. He was staring straight at me, prominent cerulean eyes intimidating in every way. The boys around me shifted, beginning to break out into smirks.

"Figured out what?" I demanded, slightly offended as to why I wasn't let in on their little inside-joke.

"That regardless of what sex you are..." Gaara leaned forward in his seat to further threaten me. I remained obstinate. He approved.

"You're not someone he can mess with."

**-X-**

Foot drills _suck. _Or, well, they suck when you've been doing them for over an hour.

"FASTER, MAGGOTS! HIGHER! Is that all you've got? That's pathet—NINETY DEGREES, NARA!" Anko bellowed, triggering another ten migraines. I struggled to even out my breathing as our high-knees progressed in speed and height. The other teams were watching us 'warm-up' giving us blank, wide-eyed looks that were probably fright, pity, amazement, or amusement.

Or all of them, really. They were huffing after some of their own team foot drills, but even their coaches were staring at Anko with a mix of reverence and repugnance.

"Two more laps! RUN IT! Let's _GO, GO, GO!"_

We were a particular few. Some teams might have been divided in the type of motivation they responded to.

Not us. Not the Konoha Flames. We responded to insults, we rose to the challenge, and we would _prove you wrong._

"Is that really all you've got?" Anko clicked her tongue, but her face was broken out into a mad grin. She was crazy, that woman. Absolutely senseless.

All the teams were watching us. Judging us. Looking for the players leading the lineup. Fast and furious players went out quickly, the ones with stamina stayed long after the others have dwindled.

One by one, we passed Anko, who held out water bottles for us to optionally snatch, and we began our cool down laps. A few weeks ago, I would probably be laying somewhere in the nurse's office, begging to sleep for days and never wake up. Now, our rigorous physical pursuits had me grieving for breath, feeling like every cell in my body was doing the polka, my lungs numb, throat being slashed apart, and my head thundering like a sledgehammer, but I was alright.

At the end of our cool-down laps, we assembled on the grassy turf, where Anko let us have a ten-minute break to cool off before our next lesson. She disappeared, probably to fetch Kakashi, but no one gave a crap.

"Ak—Akira..." Kiba struggled. I slowed down my pace to match his. He was by far the better sprinter, but I took pride in being the better long-distance runner among our team's players. "F-Fuck, I... w-want to d-die."

"Then... stop... talking..." I advised. He groaned, rolling his eyes into his sockets, and for a second I really thought he'd black out. He slowed to a staggering walk, and I stayed by his side in case he really did lose consciousness.

Our team's players began pacing in circles, walking out their exhaust, knowing that sitting and collapsing wasn't the solution. The other teams had stopped watching us, already starting on their coach's lesson.

I found Shikamaru within the group of people and gave him a wave. He caught my eyes and nodded, but we said no more. Talking was painful. Moving was painful.

It didn't take Anko long before she came back with Kakashi, bickering to him about who-knows-what. It looked rather one-sided, since Kakashi's eyes were dull and life-less. With his mask on, it didn't look like he was talking. But then again, he probably wasn't. Anko hollered once more at him before turning to leave.

"Hm." Kakashi smiled. "Looking beautiful this afternoon, ladies."

Our death glares didn't faze him. His eyes twinkled with amusement.

"Don't hate me. Your own coach did this to you, remember?" Maybe it was because the rest of the team was moving around, not paying attention, but Kakashi seemed to be making more eye contact with me than usual. But then again, I could be hallucinating. I looked down at the ground and was momentarily shocked to find that I was stationary. I felt like I was being propelled in circles, up and down, and floating.

"But you can hate me for _this." _He made a flicking gesture with his fingers. "Anko lied. Break's over. We're starting practice."

And for the first time since I began this whole charade, I began to _really_ wonder if this was such a good idea.

**-X-**

These boys signed up to play soccer. So Kakashi let them play soccer.

They played small games, not quite scrimmages. He stood and analyzed their habits, things they needed to work on, things they had quite solidified. He analyzed the players, memorizing their individual habits and noting down in his head what their strengths and weaknesses were.

_Pass. _He passed.

_Far right. _He drove far right.

_And... upper, left corner. _The goalie snatched the ball from the air.

Kakashi exhaled slowly. The players rotated on and off the field. Anko came back from her break to watch her team in progress, unintentionally yelling things out at them even though Kakashi preferred to see what they could accomplish themselves without the guiding words of a senior, first.

Their midfield players were particular strong, and the defense far better than average. As much as Kakashi didn't like the woman, he had to hand it to her: she whipped up a mighty fine team. He was always able to get picky with her players.

"Goalie."

"Nara Shikamaru," Anko recited. "What he lacks in motivation, he makes up for in brains. Got quite a few clean sheets (1) from that lad."

His eyes travelled down the field. "Eight."

Anko snorted loudly. "None other than the younger Uchiha himself: like a _mold _of his brother, that one. I thought I was rid of him when we graduated Anbu, but they give me another one."

"Four."

"Gaara. 'Of the Sand' or some scary shit like that, but I swear his parents were trolling around with that child when they named him. Even if it's Sand Gaara, that's still sad."

Finally, he raised, "Nine."

Anko scowled. "I gave you a bloody class list, you lazy-ass! Look at it!"

_"Nine." _A violet eyebrow rose up in alarm, before settling down back into its furrow. Feeling peculiar, she answered.

"Hayashi Akira: poor kid still hasn't hit puberty, - probably never will - transferred this year. Lacks technique, but I've got faith."

This surprised Kakashi. It wasn't like Anko to say things like that. "Faith?"

A prideful smirk spread across the violet-hair's face. "He has a lot to offer – a lot of potential, that one, but only if he can really grasp a firm hold and harness it. The Maggots know it too."

"He failed the obstacle race," Kakashi offered, observing to see if surprise, disappointment, or disbelief would display on the woman's face. He found none. She chuckled.

"I could see the dejection on the kiddo's face at lunch. So that's what it was." Anko shrugged offhandedly. "Don't go easy on that kid, Hatake. He'll be able to tell, and he'll hate you for it."

"I wasn't planning to," he retorted dryly. She smirked, turning to leave again. Most coaches liked to stay with their team and observe their progress, co-operating with the Camp coach to offer help and guidance, as well as analyzing their team's behavior. Anko was different.

"Oh, and don't just watch the kid. Watch how the rest of the team reacts to him," she advised finally, entrusting her team to Kakashi.

**-X-**

I was one of the team's strikers, but for a majority of the time, I played midfield. When the ball wasn't nearby, I was usually able to sneak forward and play a bit of midfield, which was always a plus. Midfield was always where the heat of the game was, and as much as kicking the ball into the goal was my responsibility, snatching the ball from the opponent always did a little _something _to motivate me.

Kiba passed to Neji. I intercepted and ran down the field, feeling my hair whipping my neck, stinging my eyes.

I evaded Shou by less than a meter, and knowing I couldn't get greedy, I passed to Gaara out of the corner of my eye.

_Takeru, diving in from the right. Gaara saves. Shoots to Sasuke. Sasuke runs._

My mind was flying, unable to take in anything but the events on the field.

_Sasuke is running, running... Shou's at goal. Ready. Ready. His path is clear, his path is- NOT CLEAR!_

My mind screamed, and my legs propelled me forward as Max zoomed in for the kill, blue eyes fierce with the aim of stealing.

"UCHIHA!" I shouedt. Sasuke was quicker than I would've guessed and took in Maximus coming from behind, making me love him for a very brief few seconds.

But then he passed me the ball. I dropped my jaw and glared at him as hard as I ever possibly could.

_YOU WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO PASS TO ME! _I shouted at him through my eyes. He flushed, knowing full well what I was saying. I was surrounded and as hard as I tried, with 3 senior players all my skill level, the ball was flying down the opposite direction from their goal, and headed for ours.

Sasuke ran up from behind me and slapped my back in apology. I squeezed his shoulder to tell him it was fine.

Our defense was as strong as the opposing players offense was. Kakashi must have purposely put this game in such a format, where he could really see the sections shine by themselves. I snuck him a glance, just because he happened to be a few meters away, and I caught his eyes again. The ball is getting dangerously close to our goal, but Gaara was a bullet. He stopped Kiba in seconds and whizzed down the field, eyes combing over the field to find us.

"FOUR-SIX!" Sasuke and I shout at the same time. Unfortunately, as we were playing players from our own team, they knew exactly what we were doing. I could almost hear Gaara cursing from where he was when players starting diving to seize the formation.

Luckily, _our _team saw this coming.

"SIXTEEN," I changed orders, "WITH PISTACHIO!"

Our opposing team – ahh, confusing isn't it, since we're all Konoha Flames – faltered, wondering what on earth I was talking about. But Gaara was clever, and his reflexes not even close to failing him.

Pistachio was code for Five-Four, with 5 consonants and 4 vowels. Of course, I hadn't made him calculate it on the spot. We had agreed to our codenames beforehand. Gaara had to keep the ball as long as possible, not passing until help came in, unless he made it down the field.

Sasuke raced me down the field, eager to relay ourselves down the field. Everyone had trouble keeping up with Gaara. He was given the position of stopper for a reason; he was fast, intimidating, and would _bulldoze the living crap out of you _if you got in his way.

But he was starting to get tired. You could only sprint for so long, evading and zig-zagging at the same time, before you fell from your top speeds. I made eye contact with Hikari, who had already been running in. He somehow read my mind, possibly, because he raced in like a Knight in Shining Armor and saved Gaara from sprinting another 100 meters. Sasuke and I were ready. Before I realized, I was shouting,

"CLIMB! CLIMB!" _Four-One. Left assists Right. _Sasuke got ready for my assist, meaning he would shoot the goal.

It happened in less than 2 seconds. First to Five. We won.

I laughed, giving my teammates highfives. Gaara's breathing was slightly labored, and I smack him hard on the back. He gave me a look. I just smiled cheekily back and thanked him for pulling through.

"Not only do they get Shikamaru as goalie, they get our team Striker! Come on, Kakashi!" Kiba whined, and the team erupted into laughter and joking condescending tones. Kakashi shook his head, not bothering to remark on Kiba's complaint because it was obvious he wasn't serious.

Kakashi settled us down and began the debriefing, no room for break. I found myself nodding and in awe. He had no notes, no utensils of recording. He was simply reciting them from his brain and memory. The feedback he gave was detailed and focused with individuals or sections, as well as broad and directed towards the entire team. A compliment, implied or not, slipped in here and there, but all-in-all, Kakashi was telling us what to improve on. The only time he focused on what we did well was when he felt it was significant enough to drill in and make sure we remembered.

"... began running in, be more sure of yourself next time. Number Six. You're usually the left wing backer. You should know not to..."

Neji nudged me, and I looked over to find a waterbottle. I thanked him quietly and poured some in my mouth, careful not to let my lips touch. When we were all sweaty like this, the last thing we wanted was for sweat to coat the mouth of the bottle and have other people drink our bodily fluids.

"Number Nine. Striker," I choked on the water and quickly lowered the bottle, letting some droplets dampen my jersey. The guys chuckled at me and cracked a few jokes. I smiled apologetically.

"Here, sir..."

"Your dribbling and stamina is weaker than the rest of the team, as is your footwork." I frowned. "There are many times when you were stationed in midfield where you could have assisted with offense, creating a very good scoring opportunity as you had more than two players ready for an assist and attack up front. The first couple of times, I had overlooked it as you not seeing it, but it soon became evident... why you're the team's striker."

"If you cannot play midfield," he announced, "_stay off _midfield."

**-X-**

"I can't- THE FRICK WAS THAT?" I bellowed, stomping into the room with a heavy heart. Now that we were finally out of earshot, I could fully release my rage. "I mean, was I _so bad _that he had to-? I can't-... I SUCK!"

"You don't suck, Akira," Neji growled. Kiba opened his mouth to make a nasty joke, but I shot him a look that threatened his reproduction abilities.

"Relax," Shikamaru replaced his dirty shirt with a clean one. I focused on tracing the pillow lining. "Just prove him wrong next game."

"We're having dinner in an hour, right?" Kiba remarked offhandedly, prancing over to my side with a schedule.

"That was so embarrassing," I sighed. "He didn't say anything when we played the second time, but I could tell by the way he was looking at me that he wasn't impressed at all."

"No one cares about the coaches," Sasuke said, lacing the shoes to his indoor runners.

"I don't care about the coaches," I retorted, "I care about what the coaches _think about how I play!_ They know their stuff, right? And it's not like they were disappointed with everyone. Just me! I feel like _luggage _for the team now! Worse than luggage! I'm probably what's making you guys exceed the baggage weight limit!"

"We're not at an airport. Reminder that 'they' is actually only _Kakashi_," Kiba made himself comfy on my bed. Gaara didn't look like he cared as he walked into the washroom. "Anko thinks you play fine."

"So is it my problem, or Kakashi's problem?"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes, growing impatient. I noticed. "It's not a problem, Akira. He'll get over it when he sees you can play. _You'll _get over it, when you see that he sees you can play. Don't be so troublesome..."

_"...But what if I'm not good enough?"_ I whispered.

"What was that?" Kiba muttered, a little too distracted with the television ahead of him. He was flipping channels again. I glanced around to see if any of the others guys had heard what I said clearly. They were all staring at me, faces masked with an emotion I didn't entirely know how I to read. I shrugged, and put a smile on my face.

"Nothing. And yeah, you're right. I'll just have to show him that I can do better." Sasuke and Neji smirked, while Shikamaru gave us another dose of his troublesome speech. I chuckled and kicked his butt with my heel, while he turned around to glower at me before finishing changing.

Gaara came out from the washroom and gave Kiba a glare, in which he quickly retracted his arm from my shoulder – wait, when had he put that there? – and jumped off the mattress.

"Shotgun shower!" I called. The boys groaned, probably angry that they had forgotten to call it out first. They began reserving positions and fighting over who got to go next while I retrieved my clothes.

"Don't take too long, you pansy!" Kiba teased.

"Or what? You'll come barging in like last time?" I walked in the washroom with a smug smirk, knowing of how red he must have been turning, as well as the angry glares from the rest of my roommates. Strange creatures, strange creatures...

The lights flickered three times before the room was fully illuminated. I stared at myself in the mirror, covered in dirt. I looked down to see artificial turf smeared all over my legs and behind.

I began stripping. Once I was rid of my binding vest and underpants, I stood in front of the mirror, soaking in the sight of my naked body, memorizing the lines and faint curves that allowed me to pull off the male charade. For the longest time, I thought I was caught in between – a tomboy. Perhaps a bit more female than male, but I had male in me nonetheless, right?

But as I took a deep breath in and narrowed my eyes, I reminded myself that I was a girl.

_Akira Hayashi is a girl, _I recited to mysel, stepping over to the shower. I turned the hot and cold dials until the temperature was to my liking.

_There's nothing wrong with being a girl. _I glanced once more at the mirror, covered in filth and residue.

I stepped into the steaming chamber, the water instantly washing away the layer of grime that clung to me. I worked my hands down and over all my limbs before submerging my head under the showerhead.

I combed a hand through my short, damp hair and let the water run out from my mouth. I squeezed my eyes shut.

_"If you cannot play midfield," he announced, _"stay off_ midfield."_

Kakashi was telling me that I played like a girl.

**End Chapter.**

**-X-**

(1) Clean Sheets are equivalent to 'Shut-Outs', where the team prevents the opposing team from scoring any goals.

Oohh, here comes some sexism adventures. Are you excited? YOU SHOULD BE EXCITED.

Or not, Haha, hope you guys enjoyed! I didn't put the 'played like a girl' in quotations, because I felt like it took away from the statement. But you guys know I don't agree with the saying of 'playing like a girl', right? Hope I don't get reviews arguing that it was insensitive and stuff. D:

KAZZAM. CHAPTER TWELVE. HOMG, IT'S SUCH A BIG NUMBER FOR ME! Haha, I know I was supposed to write a new chapter for my Death note fic... but I was already so close to finishing this one, so I thought I'd let you guys 'have' it (;

**Reviewing would be spectacular! Hope you guys are enjoying Winter Break!**


	13. The Cloud That Fell ::13::

This chapter is dedicated to **Ryuu-Xana** who reviewed ALL 12 CHAPTERS OF MY STORY CONSEQUTIVELY and was the main reason I rushed this update before BL. You have no idea how easy it is to bypass like all 11 chapters and only review for the 12th with a "Yay, please update!" I can't believe you reviewed 12 times even though I had the next chapters out already and you could've skipped them by. You're awesomesauces. Thank you!

Sorry for the wait! Here's your chapter!

**-X-**

**Chapter Thirteen: The Cloud That Fell**

**-X-**

"Get into partners," Kakashi ordered, not so bright in the morning, but definitely early. We had just finished our warm-up laps, and the sunshine didn't feel like rewarded us with a little peak over the morose grey clouds. People were already beginning to glance at one another, sling exhausted arms over each other and give agreeing nods.

I took a brief second to run my arm over my nose and sniffle before looking around. I spotted a certain male before anyone else, and parted my lips to call out to him.

"Shika-"

"Max!" Shikamaru called out. I dropped the hand that I had raised, and a look of shock crossed my face. Max looked about the same, as he gave me a brief glance and looked back at Shika. Shikamaru barely had the energy to breathe more than necessary, nevertheless ask someone to be his partner. "Gotta partner?"

"Naw, Dude. You and me?" Max laughed and agreed. I frowned and cleared my throat awkwardly. What was all this suddenly?

I shrugged it off. Maybe the winds were turning and Shika was finally coming out from his lazy-ass shell! I turned around to search for another partner, and instantly met with lavender eyes.

"Hyuuga?" I said, just as he initiated a "Hayashi?" We broke out into smiles, signing the agreement. There was no doubt that he (as well as a good third of the team) had seen that awkward exchange between Shika and I, but he didn't say anything and I had already decided to brush it off. In milliseconds, boys were paired up and ready to face whatever challenge Kakashi threw at us.

He began giving us directions to a stealing and dribbling drill. While watching him intently (perhaps with more negative feelings than usual), I noticed his relaxed slouch, and constantly drooping eyes. You could tell from his physique that he was athletic, what with his very steamy biceps and V-shape torso, but a part of me was having a hard time imagining him walking at a pace faster than 5km an hour, nevertheless running on the field and playing soccer. Maybe he really didn't have any idea what he was teaching us-

"Oh, I forgot to mention that you should be sprinting through the entire exercise, whether you're guarding or attacking. Through this drill, I want to be able to see how fast you can go, while staying light on your feet. Go."

He's already seen us play a bunch of scrims! What was he _doing _while we were sprinting our legs to oblivion in an apparently _fruitless _ordeal to impress him?

"You still pissed off at Hatake?" I immediately loosened the tension in my face and watched Neji hide a look of amusement.

"Not pissed off. Just... feeling kind of bitter about it." I cleared my throat and lowered my gaze. "Is it that obvious?"

"Like an elephant in a room." In pairs, my teammates finished the drill and Kakashi uttered a little something to each of them as they passed him. I could make out several phrases, like "Get closer next time," and "Turn your shoulders...". There were 2 lines going, and players leaving at every half-mark, so he only had brief breaks between his advise comments.

"Like a baby elephant in a really _big_ room? Or an airport?" I offered hopefully. He cracked a smirk.

"You'd still be making headlines." I huffed.

"I'm just bitter – but I'm sure you guys already knew that. I'm going to hold this grudge until he takes back what he said. Or maybe changing it to a 'you play like a _hot _girl,' could suffice for no more murderous thoughts, but until then, he better sleep with one eye open," I jested, speaking quiet enough for no one else to hear.

"Oh, I'm _sure _he's sleeping with _both_ eyes open," he offered sarcastically. I stomped on his foot with my cleats. He sucked in a gasp and glared at me. I shrugged, but offered him a consoling pat.

My turn came up soon, and as much as I wanted to show Kakashi 'what I was made of', Neji was one damn good check. I tried to cut several times only to have him catch up to me in milliseconds, his long limbs and faster speed making me stagger and nearly shuffle back in intimidation, but I was confident that my dribbling was still better than his by just a margin, and I could manage to keep the ball mine long enough for the drill.

I glanced up to look at Kakashi. He stared straight at me, and I was suddenly aware of my thundering heart. I snapped back to Neji, only to find him in my open spot, and with a swift motion, he swept the ball away from me just as I was nearing the cone.

"Nice O," Neji complimented. I nodded, huffing and gave him a high-five.

"Not good enough to keep you away, though," I offered, a smidgen disappointed. He nodded, and was about to say something, but didn't. Or at least I think he didn't, because I was too distracted with how Kakashi muttered a quick, "Get him earlier next time."

I hid a frown, but I think a scowl surfaced instead. _I'm just over-thinking everything. I'm just being bitter... _We piled back into line, watching as our teammates rotated positions.

We had spent the next 2 hours running endless drills, and later, Anko joined in to help speed up the process by screaming at us, and increase the feedback.

Never once did Kakashi give me a single piece of advise. Not even a comment. And as I grew more conscious of it, I noticed that he was singling me out. No one else other than Neji seemed to noticed until a little later, when they noticed my mood worsening and worsening. It's not like he was ignoring me, and I knew for certain that he didn't think I was some star, amazing player with no faults. So why wasn't he saying anything to me? How _fair _was that? He was being so childish!

"Bitter?" Kiba remarked from ahead of us in line, a sympathetic smile on his mischievous face.

"No," I corrected. "Just pissed off."

**-X-**

When the boys were dismissed to change, possibly take a quick shower, and go down for lunch in 45 minutes, the sky was started to clear up to a commercial shine.

Kakashi watched silently from the back, observing how they patted each other on the back and still had the energy to fool around and slap each other around in such a lively way.

He was definitely a fighter. He fought hard on the field, struggling to keep up and use his 100 percent while others merely pitched in a 70 or so. He knew that he was lacking, and he was trying so hard to make up for it.

Akira looked back over his shoulder, straight into the engulfing eyes of Kakashi.

Kakashi was curious. How far was this little striker willing to go before he fell into the mindset that he simply wasn't good enough? How far until he gave up, or just couldn't do it anymore?

When silver hair entered into the cafeteria, black eyes followed the lone player who got up before everyone else and dismissed himself for a 'stomach ache'. The player whisked past him without a word, leaving his roommates distraught and confused.

_Not very far, _Kakashi concluded, walking over the coaches' table, where Anko was giving him a dirty look.

**-X-**

I collapsed onto my side of the bed, heart feeling heavy, and brain sending me mixed signals. They had been battling get out for a while now, with my heart keen on being hurt and pretending to be fragile while my brain was pretending to be strong and telling myself to get over it.

And I was going to. Get over it, that is.

But I couldn't. Everytime I looked into Kakashi's black eyes, they were always watching me. Was I actually being paranoid? Was I catching _him _staring, or was he catching _me _staring? Maybe he thinks I'm too feminine, or that I'm gay, and he's intimidated because I keep looking over at him so he might think I find him attractive and am checking him out... which isn't entirely false, but _seriously: _putting me down like this and making me feel like crap shouldn't be-

Strong arms grabbed me from behind, hands covering over my mouth and eyes so that I couldn't see or _scream like banshee_.

"Boo," he said monotonously before letting me go. I gasped for air and spun around with fury.

_"UNHOLY HE- " _I recovered from my flinch and cower to register Gaara standing behind me. "WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?"

He gave me a subtle look of accusation, gliding to his side of the bed. "You heard me coming in."

"I _didn't," _I whimpered. He stopped in his tracks, perhaps considering the thought.

"Oh." His azure eyes glazed over and the sexiest of faint smirks guided his lips. "My bad."

I rolled my eyes and pretended to collapse face down on the bed out of exasperation.

_Heart, you've been doing a lot of work lately. Let's take a break, now, alrighty?_

I buried my face deeper into the pillow when all it did was beat even faster, teasing me with as much sadistic spite as Gaara had.

"Are the others back yet?" I voiced, hoping to mask my fluster with casual conversation. I summoned the courage to look up again, only to slam my face back into the pillow immediately.

_He's changing, and he didn't even tell me! Oh Mother of God, those abs..._

"THATSTH NOD FAIR!" I shouted into my pillow.

A weight submerged the center of the bed. A husky whisper blew against my left ear, dangerously close to my face, sending a tingle down my spine. "What was that?"

"SHTOP!" He chuckled, and I let out a low groan and clutched the pillow tighter as the weight lifted off.

"What are you even doing up here?" I continued to face the headboard of the bed, but released my face because I was starting to have trouble breathing. I could see from the lamp shadows and shuffling that he was walking towards the mini-fridge, and the sound of the door opening only confirmed it.

"Finished eating," was his blunt reply. Something landed on the bed, but not before skimming my leg. It was cold. It was within arm's reach, so I grabbed the bottle of water and untwisted the cap. Not wanting to take a sip while lying on my stomach, I shifted to sit up against the headboard. I took a sip of water and glanced over at Gaara, who was looking at me peculiarly.

"What?" He closed the fridge door.

"I don't remember asking you if you wanted anything." I choked, water nearly spewing out of my mouth as I struggled to swallow and speak again.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry. You threw it on the bed... so I took it without... I thought it was for me –"

"Akira..." I watched him approach me, cowering as the distance closed. I shrunk in my spot, jaw already sore from being clenched, and lips tired of being pursed. He bent down from his standing position, and lowered his face inches from mine. I was so distraught, I didn't even notice until after he slipped the bottle out from my frozen fingers.

"Relax," he finished, a knowing glint never leaving his cerulean orbs as he pulled away.

I almost didn't let him.

I gulped, hoping to transfer some of the coolness from my fingers to my cheeks by covering my face. He merely chuckled like I was a being ridiculous, and took a long drink from the bottle.

Not wanting things to get quiet, I forced myself to say, "Did you come up... to make me feel better?"

He looked at me funny. Or as funny as Gaara can look, anyway. "Is that what you think I'm doing?"

"Well, I am feeling better," I confessed, avoiding his eyes. "So whether it was intentional or not... thank you, Gaara."

"I just came up to change."

"Ahh, right," I sighed. Reaching over to hug the pillow against my chest, I was on guard. "Without so much as telling me. I know we're familiar and all now, but it wouldn't hurt to give a heads up before you get half-naked, thanks."

"Well..." His expression went back to neutrality, but his eyes stayed lively and devilish. "Like what you see?"

I exploded and chucked the pillow at him as hard I could. He dropped the bottle on the bed and caught the flying object with expertise, looking even more amused. I got up from the bed and made my way over to the washroom, planning to splash cold water on my face, or maybe even take a cool shower.

"I never knew you were such a freaking_ tease_," I muttered right at the doorway, feeling so embarrassed for myself, and so ashamed that I wanted this feeling to _never go away._

"Only when I want to be," he left for me to interpret, eyes challenging me to.

I didn't dare.

**-X-**

When I had recovered from being Gaara's plaything upon avoiding him to take a shower, the rest of the guys were back in the room.

"You showered early," Neji remarked curiously.

"Was feeling a bit stuffy," I explained, not entirely lying. "Plus I don't want to sound like pig around you guys for another 6 hours."

"Smart," Kiba piped up, "cause we've got the rest of the day off as free-time! So we can practice our drills and scrim as much as we want. Just gotta stick with dinner time and curfew!"

"... I understand that we didn't have to pay for this camp cause our school was willing to pay for it, but... seriously? They're willing to give almost an entire day to ourselves?" I continued to rustle my short hair with my towel. "Not that I'm complaining."

"We _always_ have 3 or 4 days to ourselves," Sasuke put in, putting away his cleats and taking out a sweater that wasn't covered in his perspiration. "We have to have time to practice what the coaches teach us. For self-discipline, or whatever."

"Oh. Hey, by the way, is that a new hoodie?" He froze right after putting on the new sweater, but didn't say a thing. "What? I just think it looks good. Red's a good color on you."

The entire room was silent.

"Akira, don't tell me..." Shikamaru smirked, raising a brow, "You've become a Uchiha fangirl?"

_"Tell me _that I just hallucinated," I growled, "otherwise, Shika, you're going _down!"_

"Actually, the girl usually goes down first, Akira," Kiba quipped. "If you get my drift."

Cue four amused stares in Kiba's direction, all belonging to guys who 'got his drift' _exactly_.

Cue one murderous glare, and Kiba desperately shielding his balls from being sacked by the girl who 'got his drift' the most.

**-X-**

I hadn't known that the campsite was actually so big, but then again we had been restricted to the west soccer turfs and obstacle course side. For the first time, my experienced colleagues led me down to the east side of the camp, and I realized that right beside us all along was

"The _ocean?" _I blurted. Shika shrugged, like it was no big deal, but I gave him a whack in the arm anyways.

"Why's that so surprising?" Sasuke offered, but I rolled my eyes and quickened my steps a bit more.

"I've never seen the ocean before..." They blinked. Once. Twice. Three ti-

"BUT YOU LIVE IN JAPAN!" Kiba accused first, and I laughed. "WE'RE A FREAKING ISLAND!"

"I never had the chance to venture down to the shore. Fieldtrips don't tend to stray there, and my parents obviously never took me during the summer breaks, so I stayed in school."

"Your parents?" came the voice of Neji. We were on the sand now. I took off my shoes and socks and dug my toes into the dry sand.

"I don't see them a lot," I explained, "They're just busy, though, so it's not their fault."

Sasuke came up to my side from behind me. "So you don't see them around anymore."

His voice was cold and unforgiving, a venomous kind of sarcastic. So menacing that I had to glance up at him to see if he was all right. His eyes were narrowed, eyebrows drawn in, and his lips pursed together, jaw clenched. He was fighting. On the other end of the battlefield was probably a past that I didn't know of.

"No," I whispered back softly. He looked up and I tried to force a non-awkward smile. "I'm not sure if I _want _to see them."

I snuck a glance back at the rest of the guys, to find their faces solemn, and Neji's eyes were downcast and also avoiding. Kiba's grin wasn't present on his face as he looked out towards the horizon, and Gaara seemed to be distracted with the calling of birds in the open. I sucked in a guilty breath for even bringing up the topic. I knew nothing about these boys' lives. I didn't know what their families are like, or how their parents treated them, or even if their parents were _here._

I glanced over to Shika, looking for wisdom. His eyes were cautious, but warning. He was telling me to tread carefully, but that I didn't need to avoid the topic entirely. I was suddenly reminded of why I loved Shika's eyes so much. They told me so much, and they guided me so well whenever I needed him to. They would always have an answer for me. They protected me.

I realized that I'd been staring at him for much longer than I should, and he was getting uncomfortable. He casted his gaze downward, and I drew a breath to collect my thoughts.

I tried to ignore the possibility that it might not just be his eyes.

Sasuke moved closer to the water, as did the crowd of them and I followed suit. They took off their shoes and threw them back as well, so that our bare feet were exposed to the cool temperatures of the sand, and whatever lay underneath.

When we got to the waters, we all took a seat at the edge, with Neji, Gaara and Kiba to my left and Shikamaru and Sasuke to my right. The sky was painted a warm orange, red, pink, purple and yellow, surrounded by strokes of dark navy blue off the edges. The sun was setting down into the east, and we sat and watched in silence.

Until I piped up, "I'm leaving in 2 weeks, aren't I?"

"You said a month," Shika answered. I nodded grimly.

"Well, it's already February so there's not much of school left anyways. Soon we'll be graduating and going our separate ways, even if we were in the same school, right?"

They shifted beside me. I braced myself for the awkward topic to come. I was going to get sensitive, and I knew it.

Neji inquired, "What universities did you apply for?"

"Anbu." They looked at me.

"Is that all?"

I hugged my knees closer. "'Go big or go home', as they say."

"A University where 60% of its students have come out on top and played for national teams," Kiba scoffed. "Yeah, I'll say that's big."

"A girl can dream," I sighed. "Especially when only 20% of the school is made of girls. I know they've been criticized for being pretty sexist, but they said themselves that they don't discriminate. They have a standard, and that standard just can't... be met by so many girls, I guess."

I cleared my throat as a breeze blew by and whisked my bangs away from my face. "What about you guys? What'd you apply for?"

"Anbu," they echoed. Their faces were nonchalant, as if it wasn't a big deal.

"You jerks," I chuckled. "But that's to be expected. Is it the same with the rest of the soccer team?"

They were eerily quiet, but they nodded. I followed their nod, mind starting to add up the pieces.

"I knew I wasn't going to make it, anyway."

Kiba blurted, "Akira, they're not done sending letters yet."

The boys shot him a look, and I bit my lip as his words confirmed my suspicions. How embarrassing. What a joke.

"Yeah, I guess," I mumbled. "Maybe there's still a chance. I knew upon coming to this school that half of the students apply for Anbu, and a good number get in, some even with scholarships. It's already a privilege that I get to play with future athletic stars-"

Gaara wasn't having it. "Akira-"

"You guys are my friends," I stated, feeling humiliated by their sympathy, "not my support group. I don't need you to tell me consoling words about how I'll get in, don't worry, and-"

"Is that what you think we're going to do? Feed you rainbows and unicorns?" I dared to glance up, and realized that one by one, they were getting up and standing to look down at me. I stayed where I was.

"Who cares if you don't get into Anbu?" Gaara goes on. I huffed, a welt starting to build in the base of my throat. That was a low blow. Who cares? _I CARE._

"How can-" I started, only to be cut off by Gaara's harsh words.

"The Akira I knew didn't let school get in the way of what she loved. Our meeting was proof of that."

I felt anger boiling in the pit my stomach. Somehow I found the words, or rather they fired from my vocals like an explosion, shooting without aiming.

"How could you possibly understand?" I snapped, standing up from my seat. "It's not fair! You can't say that it 'doesn't matter' after you already get in! You can't brag about something being 'not so hard' when you've never gone through it! They didn't have to deal with discrimination, with the taunting, or with the _stupid sexist comments_, or sneaking out of your school to try out for a team of the opposite sex!" I tried to catch my breath, but my steam wasn't out. "You haven't had to deal with the letter that will eventually arrive in my room to tell me that I wasn't accepted!"

"Akira, chill!" Neji shouted.

"Yeah, calm your tits!" Kiba fired, and I let out the most offended glower I could muster, which, from the way they backed off, told me it was improving.

"Calm my tits? My tits don't have _freakin' feelings, _Inuzuka!"

His face was a look of horror, or regret. I didn't really care. "You know that's not what I meant. I'm so-"

_"No. _Just because I know what you mean doesn't give you the right to lay a sexist remark like that. Just because I know you don't mean it in a harmful way doesn't mean it's _correct!" I'm babbling. I don't know what I'm saying anymore._ Everything was just so pent up, all the emotions that I dared not to acknowledge were spilling from me and I couldn't stop them. It felt good to shout and scream, but it felt so bad, because it was everything I hoped to never say aloud.

"I can't deal with this stupid life anymore, I can't—" Strong arms locked onto me from behind, and then I was spinning. Spinning, and then thump, my head was being cushioned against a surface; soft, but hard at the same time. It took me a few seconds, and the vibration of his voice to realize where I was.

"Akira, _breathe._ You're not thinking," Shikamaru cooed, holding me tightly. I didn't even bother fighting. I was too tired. My throat was too constricted for me to talk anymore.

And yet I found the words. "Why?" My voice cracked. "I'm not good anything. Soccer is my only passion, my only hobby, and... I can't even be great at it. Being good at it isn't enough to get me anywhere. Even Kakashi doesn't want to watch me. I'm terrible. But it's the only thing I have left..."

"Akira," he whispersed into my ear, and his breath tickled the hairs nearby. "You..."

But he couldn't find the words to say to me. But that's okay too, because I wasn't sure what I wanted to hear. And all of the sudden, I felt so bad, with the mixture of pathetic disappointment and guilt that I had broken down. I wanted to magically transport back to the girls dormitory and see Tenten, Temari and Hinata again.

I could bawl my eyes out about what a failure my life is, and how everything I'd done has accumulated to nothing. Tenten and Hinata would stay with me, while Temari sprinted out to the nearest convenience store and bought a bucket of Ben & Jerry's, and we'd eat and cry and dribble salty tears into our spoons and have everything taste salty and sweet at the same time. We could watch one of those stupid talk shows that featured those tiny little kids who were really good at singing and dancing, and listen to the host vomit pretty words to them about how they'll become big and successful, and then I'd throw the television out the window because _everything is such a big f*cking lie._

The earth under me was moving. I cracked open my crystallized eyes and rubbed them until the haze dispersed. I was being carried. The tuft of smooth black hair that dispersed into a ponytail told me that it was Shikamaru and I relaxed. I snuck a glance back at the boys on the beach that hadn't followed. Kiba was chucking stones into the ocean, letting out loud grunts of anger. Neji stood close by, arms crossed as he looked into the sky growing dark. Sasuke had his hands shoved in his pockets, pre-occupied with the sand at his feet, and Gaara had just said something to Kiba that made him lunge backwards at him. They took each other by the shoulder, and Neji went over to settle their disagreement. I couldn't make out anything they were saying.

My shifting must have alerted him to me regaining consciousness. He looked back at me on his back, and I loosened my hold on his shoulder to let me go. He complied, putting me down. We didn't need people misunderstanding and getting the wrong idea. His fingers lingered for a moment longer, though, before completely detaching from me.

"I'm so sorry that you had to see that," my voice was husky, until I realized that the correct term would be 'hoarse'. I turned away and buried my face into my hands. "I... I can't believe I became so ugly in front of-"

"Stop," his voice still didn't rise, and his eyes... I didn't dare look at them. The eyes that would always comfort me and tell me the right things would look at me with disappointment and discomfort. "Akira, don't be so hard on yourself."

I sported a quiet chuckle. "Hard on myself... I obviously haven't been hard _enough, _Shika, because all Kakashi sees when I play is a pansy little girl who—"

"Kakashi, is _he _what this is all about?" There was evidence of anger in his tone. I sucked in my breath. I mentioned Kakashi again.

"He-... He's only a s-small part of the bigger p-picture!" Shikamaru stared down at me hard, eyes unwavering. I still didn't dare meet those eyes...

"Say that without stammering," he challenged, "and maybe we'll talk."

"We don't have to talk, then," I agreed, starting on my way back to the dorms, but he grabbed me by the wrist.

"Akira-"

"I don't want to hear it anymore! I don't want to hear questions on whether I'm on my period, or why I'm being such a bitch right now, or why I'm being so difficult, okay? I just want to go to my room and think this out..."

Shikamaru gives a slow glance around our surroundings, and I remember that we're still in public and at a camp full of boys. Someone might have overheard. While I was busy shrieking like a girl, Shikamaru still had the decency to look out for my secret and myself. I was so filthy. I was lower than scum, and I didn't even deserve to be his friend.

"I'm so sorry," I apologized. His hold on my wrist loosened, but instead of letting go or pulling away, he gently guided me towards the woods. "What-"

"A secret place," he explained, "where we can talk."

I still felt every inch out of my mind, but I had enough control to shut up and follow him.

**-X-**

"I know it doesn't give any kind of excusing for what just happened in the last hour," I muttered, "but I _am _on my period."

Shikamaru managed a smirk. "Well, at least we've got our Akira back again."

We had stopped at a small clearing of trees where a collapsed log made for a nice bench, just like our secret hideout back at our school.

Or... _his _school, I supposed.

We were about twenty meters from the edge of the camp, which was quite a ways in and guaranteed no one to hear us talking, especially when we spoke with such hushed voices. While arriving at the spot, I realized why Shikamaru's 'secret place' was always the woods and not some secluded closet or room in the school. It was outdoors, which allowed for fresh air to flow through my body as well as the crunch of leaves and twigs to alert us if anyone was nearby, even if they were being very careful. Watching squirrels and birds prance from tree to tree did something to help me escape, too, and he _did _like to make fun of me when I stared up at the sky through the maze of branches above us, my mouth wide open like an awed little kid, and mind cleared.

"It's been a while," I interrupted the long silence "since we've talked like this."

He remained quiet, and instead shifted his place on the log farther. I glanced down at our hands. He had retracted his, and brought them to his knees, eyes averting.

I licked my dry lips. "I'm sorry that you had to see that side of me."

"You already said that, troublesome woman," The phrase comforted me somehow, "and you should know that I was never mad."

"You have every right to be, after some girl explodes her anger at you out of no where. I could see my feminazi coming out of me like laser beams."

"I think that's the problem." I looked at him, but he was looking down at the leaves. "You're obsessed with being a girl."

I said nothing, my throat wanting to rest. He went on, "You're a lot more self-conscious than any girl I've ever met, and not even on her appearance or her weight."

_'Oh believe me, that's because I haven't unleashed _that _beast on you yet,' _I felt like saying, but I don't because I've done enough 'saying' for the day already.

"You obsess too much on what being a girl means," he laced his fingers together and blew into them for warmth, and then pulled away. "You're making it a lot more troublesome than it has to be, Hayashi..."

"I'm not exactly the person to come to for a... feminist point of view... or _anything_ for that matter..." he scratched his head adorably—I stopped myself in time, and turned away to blush for a moment, grateful that he wasn't looking at me.

"But I think I stand for the rest of our roommates when I say, that at least in _your _case... what makes you the most amazing is the fact that you're a girl."

I gazed at him slowly, but he continued to look away. I was growing impatient, but his words were too warm for me to be mad at his awkwardness. He cleared his throat.

"Basically... You shouldn't feel like being a girl gets in the way of the things you do, because it doesn't. It will if you let it, though." He rubbed his nose and scratched his head, full of fidgets. "Does that make sense?"

"So embrace the fact that I'm a girl," I smiled, "is that what you're saying?"

"... I guess," he looked down at his fingers, ears heating to a vibrant red. "And as for your others worries... just know that if you ever need help getting through them, getting back up, or just... _walking..._" he furrowed his brows, like he was mad at himself for something. "We'll be here for you, not matter what."

"... Thanks, Shika. That means a lot. More than you know..." I gave a stretch, and propped myself off the log. He tried to get up, too, but I stood directly in front of him, so that he couldn't get up unless he wanted to knock into me. So he stayed put.

"Now there's something we need to resolve too," I squatted so that I was a little lower than eye to eye. "And by 'we', I _do _mean you and I."

He said nothing. His ears were the shade of crimson.

"Did I do something wrong to make you angry at me?"

"What..." he began, eyes daring to glance at me for a second before he cleared his throat again and looked away.

I tried not to blush in embarrassment. "I know it's stupid to ask someone if they're mad at you... because if they were mad, they wouldn't tell you, and if they're not mad then they might be annoyed that you asked—"

"Akira, I'm not mad," he interrupted, eyes glancing across me again, like his pupils were a train and I was a station that he kept choosing to skip.

"Okay then. I'll take your word for it. So then why have you been avoiding me lately, both interactively, and now even with your _eyes, _Shika?"

"I-..." He shut his mouth, closing his eyes and pursing his lips like he was annoyed. "That's not fair."

I raised a brow. "What's not?"

"Nothing," he sucked in a breath, and stood up, maneuvering around me without us touching, like a ninja. "We should go back."

"Hey, wh-" I stood up and walk after him, his paces quick and much longer then my own. My patience was merely a thread, then. "You haven't answered me yet!"

"Akira," He sighed, "if I tell you the answer to that question, we may never be able to talk like this again. Though it's surprising that you haven't figured it out yourself, you troublesome woman..."

I looked at him, as if the longer I observed, the sooner I would see what he meant. "What? So I'm supposed to _naturally _know _why _you're avoiding me, and how when you look at me, your immediate reaction is to look away like you're too repulsed to even see my face for a second-"

"You're wrong, you're-..." He let out a sigh of exasperation. "Akira, it's just difficult."

"You mean to look at me when I'm speaking? Because if avoiding me were an Olympic sport, you'd certainly be winning Gold, _Nara!"_

He snatched my arm and it took all my reflexes to hold back a gasp from escaping my mouth in surprise. His eyes stared into mine, and he leaned in. I didn't dare move. His nose grazed against my cheek, and his lips were a breath from mine.

I stopped breathing. I could pucker, and we would kiss.

He scoffed, and the puff of warmth sent a shiver down my spine. He pulled away, and his eyes looked... different. Not angry; not sad.

Wounded.

"It's difficult enough as it is to stop myself from doing that," he shuffled away again, hands unleashing me. "So what am I supposed to do when you're looking at me, and I can see how easy it would be to just grab you and..."

My lips were dehydrated, still. I dared not lick them.

"Troublesome woman," he smirked, but his eyes were already on the floor. "Not knowing what she's getting herself into."

Those were the same words he had said to me when we first met; when he found out I was a girl.

"...Shika..." escaped my lips, but he was already walking away, head hung low and hands shoved deep within the confinements of his pockets.

I had humiliated him. I had screamed at him, and when he had helped me, I chose to press down on him and force my way into his mind.

_I'm a terrible thing._

"Akira..." He came back for me still, and put a hand on my back to guide me out, but I refused to move.

_How can you come back for me? Even after I treat you like..._

And as if he can read my mind, he whispered, "It's getting dark. I'm not going to leave you here like this."

_You should._

"Troublesome woman," he said softly, but I couldn't stop. "Don't cry."

**End of Chapter Thirteen.**

**-X-**

**End Notes:**

I HAD SUCH A MAJOR WRITER'S BLOCK FOR THIS I CAN'T EVEN. I can't even believe I finished this chapter. I swear it was never gonna get done and you guys would have to wait a year. I'm sorry that it's such a failure. I realized that this story lacked a bit of angst. SO HERE: YOU GETS THE ANGST HAHA.

Some of you might be shocked with the bitchiness of Akira in this chapter. I had this planned for a while, though, for her to explode like a cracker / bitch. It was only a matter of time. She's a down-to-earth gal, but she tries too hard to hold some things back, and sometimes the tiniest of triggers can unleash a whirlwind of fury: and I have first hand experience with dealing with it ^^'

K, I really wasn't going to post it like this, but I feel so bad for you guys for waiting month and months that I WILL BECAUSE YOU GUYS DESERVE AN UPDATE. I'm sorry that you couldn't get a good update. I tried. I tried...

Anywho, I hope you liked! A bit of OOCness, but it wasn't an unrealistic kind of OOC, I hope. I just twisted it a bit, to make them step out of their comfort zones.

But yeah, if you haven't already noticed, if there's going to be an end pairing, it's probably gonna be **Shika or Gaara**. If there is an end pairing. Because there might not be, especially if there's a sequeal. Which I really, really, REALLY WANT TO WRITE *FOAMS IN MOUTH*

I hope to get the next chapter out faster. But that's what I always say. But hey: getting a crapload of reviews and rage messages helped provide this update (;


	14. Cracks In His Shell ::14::

There has been some intense brainstorming on this story plot since the last chapter, JUST SO YOU GUYS KNOW, I HAVEN'T BEEN LAZYING OUT. Even though I've had an affair with my other stories, I'll always pull through and come back to you guys, don't worry~

I've been having a complete migraine over the pairing. To be completely honest, I wrote this story originally with _no _thoughts on pairing, just a lot of fluff, 'what the f*ck' moments, and hormonal raging!

With this long note, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! Last chapter, you got a bit of both, but more of Shika at the end: so this chapter is a biiit of a filler, but I PROMISE that juicy Gaara action is coming next chapter, and I already have a lot planned, so look forward to it!

**-X-**

**Chapter Fourteen: Cracks In His Shell**

**-X-**

"Hey!" The soccer ball whizzed just shy of my foot, my clumsiness choosing the worst time to kick in. I blushed, capturing it before it got far and passed it to my teammate.

"Akira, over here!" A few minutes later, I messed up again. Sasuke was open, and I kicked it to him, but my foot slipped and sent the ball flying diagonal instead of straight, giving the goalie the ball. I cursed on the spot.

The opposing team was snickering at me, obviously judging me. I wondered if they thought I sucked. I wondered if they knew that I usually played better. I wondered if they thought I looked like a girl.

Several seconds later, their defence stole the ball from me, just as I was a few meters away from the goalie. I slapped myself across the face, heart strumming loudly and my body exhausted from fatigue. The game was feeling long, and even dragged out. No one had a watch except for Kakashi, and I didn't really feel like being the one to ask him what time it was.

A palm slapped me hard on the back. I turned to see Neji, giving me a stern look, scolding and worrisome. I didn't smirk back at him, but sighed and nodded to tell him that I was aware. The game continued.

So did my mistakes.

"Watch out!" I gasped as a ball struck me hard in the side of the head, forcing me to tumble down and land on the turf with a painful scrape. I hissed at the pain, hands reflexively going to my throbbing head. I could hear the scrape of cleats coming toward me, blurry figures bending at my side.

I gulped, giving a sheepish smile. "S-Sorry guys."

"Looks like that hit knocked a bit out of ya," Shou jested, trying to make light of the situation even though everyone knew I was messing up continuously, "You're the one that got hit and you're apologizing?"

"I...," I cleared my throat and gave a few blinks to refocus the world around me. "I'm just a bit dizzy. Sorry about this."

"You're definitely not on your A game," Sasuke stated straightforwardly, and I scowled. "Even a B is pushing it."

"Need a break?" Kiba offered helpfully, thought he hadn't been spoken to me since yesterday evening. Shika left me alone at my request – because the two of us were a bit awkward anyway – and I had kicked a soccer ball by myself for almost 3 hours, trying to clear my head and sort out my thoughts. By the time I was back in the dorm, it was past curfew, and the guys were either asleep or just hadn't dared or had the effort to make conversation. I managed to sneak into the bed without Gaara so much as shifting, and I fell asleep fast. We woke up this morning uncomfortable and awkward, and I had left the room faster than some of them had even gotten changed. I was guilty for exploding at them, but at the same time... I just wasn't able to bring myself to apologize. It was horrible, and I knew that the further I left it off, the worse it was going to get.

But I was being selfish. I was bitter, that they had all gotten into the university I had dreamed of being accepted into.

I ignored him and stood up, brushing myself off and getting the turf lint off my knees.

"Striker," Kakashi called from the sidelines. "Bench."

I stared at him in alarm, as did everyone else. The other team was smirking arrogantly. It was so embarrassing to be called to sit out in the middle of a game, when we were in the middle of playing against an enemy team. "Coach, I don't-"

"_Bench_." I held back a lash of anger, kicking the ball far away in a fit of anger. I had no idea why I had done it, but the second I tried to think about it, my brain responded with a powerful strum of irritation.

"You need to cool down," he ordered sternly, making me swallow the tacky saliva in my mouth. "You call that playing out there? I've seen girls play better."

I grit my teeth. "You know, if I could sue you for being a sexist bastard, I would."

"That's quite a way to talk to your coach during bootcamp," he said lowly, and I could feel the chills crawling up my spine, "Especially when you've done absolutely nothing to impress me on the turf."

I took a seat on the bench. I was tired. I'd ever been aware of how unwillingly to move my limbs were during a game; it was always just the thrill of running, the joy of playing as a team, and the goal of scoring and doing the best I could. "I didn't come to this camp to impress some shady coach who refuses to show anyone the lower half of his face. I came to get better. So far, all it's seemed to do is humiliate me..."

Kakashi looked at me; as he usually did, and I could never understand why. He would just stare, like the mere action of observing me gave him all the answers he needed. "Why do you play soccer?"

I looked up at him, surprised that he would ask. "...When I was younger, I got in trouble for fidgeting a lot... I got in trouble for running around the class, and for not being able to stay sitting when the other kids could."

I chuckled to myself; my feet began to swing absentmindedly. "There was a kid in the neighborhood, a bit older than me, who would kick a soccer ball all by himself. I was about 8 years old, and he was already in high school or something, but he taught me how to kick a ball... he taught me how to dribble, and kick properly. From then on, I was hooked, and I get all tingly if I don't kick something once in a while. It's like a strange addiction, you know?" I laughed, running a hand over my face to wipe the sweat from my face. "Why do you ask?"

"So if you hadn't met that guy..." He didn't sound as angry anymore. "Would you still love soccer so much?"

"Pft, well, I would have found it myself eventually, right? It's not like it's some ancient martial art than no one knows about. Soccer is something that schools have, even if it's just a ball that you kick around. But he definitely saved me from having my mom throw me at a doctor and put me on pills for ADHD or something." I watched Kiba slide in to steal a ball, grinning brightly when he succeeded. I broke out into a smile too, feeding off of the energy on the field, but my happiness slowly faltered. They were playing a lot better without me on the field.

_I'm dragging them down as the girl on the team..._

"You've been under a lot of stress, I can tell." I turned to look at Kakashi, who had his arms crossed, looking away from me towards the field. "And it doesn't help that you've caught my eye, Striker."

I blinked, confused, and he directed his gaze back at me. "See if you can figure out why I treat you the way I do."

My jaw dropped. "I _knew _it! Everyone else thought I was paranoid, so much that even I thought so, but I knew you were singling me out like the little jerk you are and-"

"The little jerk I am?" he said, amused. I huffed, getting up from my seat. "Going somewhere?"

"Thirsty," I replied swiftly. Finally, I asked, "What time is it?"

He responded with a blow of the whistle. It was lazy, like it was _such _an effort to blow all that air into such a small metallic tool, so the sound was always weak and feeble in comparison to the flocks of birds that Anko could scare away. The players gradually slowed to a jog and came in.

"Shower time, Lunch in an hour," he informed favorably.

**-X-**

As always, I showered in our dorm room while the rest of the guys went down to the public ones. It wasn't anything strange, since one or two people from each room always went up to shower in the room instead of the dorm for whatever reason, and no one really cared.

I stepped into the steaming booth, the hot water doing its magic on my sore limbs.

_How long is this going to go on? _I rubbed at my face, feeling the slimy sweat residue coming off cleanly. _What is _up _with me? Since when could I not even make a pass properly?_

I stepped out of the washroom with a towel draped over my shoulders.

"Hey." I gasped. All of them were in the room; Kiba, Neji, Sasuke, Shikamaru, Gaara...

"Hey," I greeted back awkwardly. "What are you guys doing here?"

Kiba answered right away, like he'd been anticipating it, "We finished showering." _Oh. Well, duh._

"We need to talk," Neji said first, using the cliché term often used for when a meeting was called for to resolve misunderstandings.

"About?" I mumbled meekly, walking over the bed I shared with Gaara, and taking a seat down. I sat right beside him, sitting against the headboard like he was.

"You," Sasuke put bluntly, not at all looking like he wanted to deal with feigned cluelessness. "And why you're slipping."

I blushed, rustling the towel against my hair. "You guys have noticed..."

"Everyone who's ever played a soccer game with you before this camp has noticed," Shikamaru said, and I looked at him for the first time since yesterday. His gaze wavered as he leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, and he looked at the ground.

"We want to know what's up," Kiba said quietly. "And... I also wanted to apologize."

I blinked, pulling my knees close. "Apologize?"

"For what I said yesterday," He cleared his throat. "I know your tits don't have feelings. I'm really sorry that I said it, and I won't anymore. I'm a jerk."

"Yeah you are a jerk," I spat, frowning. He hid behind his pillow, but then I broke out into a grin and hopped off my bed. I hugged him tightly and then pulled away. "But you're the best jerk I've ever known. Thanks, Kiba."

"Y-yeah..." he said, in a daze. He shook his damp, messy hair and returned with a smirk. "Sorry, wait: I zoned out. Hug me again and repeat what you said. Except replace jerk with man, please."

I laughed, and kicked at him with my feet, and he chuckled. "I'm sorry to all of you guys. For how I've been reacting the past few days. I already told Shika this, and I know it doesn't excuse anything that's happened the past few days, but I am on by period."

"Five thousand yen, Hyuuga," Sasuke quipped at the arrogant defenseman at the mini fridge. In reply, Neji angrily chucked a Pepsi at him, which Sasuke caught easily.

"You guys bet on whether I was on my period?" I blurted. They froze in the middle of their glaring war.

"...No." I rolled my eyes.

"Real mature, guys," I sighed, and then looked up at Shika. "I had a good long talk with Mr. Lazy-ass genius over there, so I've gotten over myself... Kind of. I just... I don't know. I can't get myself out of that mindset, and I don't want to point names, but I think it has something to do with Kakashi telling me that I suck."

"We went over this already," Neji said menacingly, and I laughed sheepishly at how irritated he was.

"I know," I wrinkled my brow. "It just bothers me."

"It shouldn't."

"Yes, father," I quipped sarcastically, and Neji frowned at me. I decided to change the topic, because I felt like talking about something I just couldn't control only ruined my mood. I wanted to put off finding a solution to my sudden lack of skill in soccer, but... at the same time, there wasn't really a valid reason or even _excuse _for sucking as bad as I had the past few days – after making the team, that is.

"Only 3 more days," I blew out. "And then Preliminaries. But in less than 3 weeks, I'll be gone."

There were quiet, and then from beside me came a voice.

"You could stay," came from the most surprising person: Gaara. I glanced at him expectantly. He had almost sounded hopeful, and it made my stomach twist a bit to know that maybe he didn't think I was such a bother...

"I could," I confessed, "But I shouldn't. I made a promise that I'd only stay here for a month, and the water pipes in my school will definitely be fixed soon."

"But it wasn't about the water pipes," Shikamaru remarked, "It was about coming to a school who's been ranked as number one in the District for half a decade."

I smirked, and buried my face in the pillow. "I can't keep this up forever. I'm going to get found out."

"Where is this pessimism coming from?" Kiba accused, looking mildly annoyed. "When we were in school, you were sassy, confident, and you would strut your curves in the hallway even though you don't really have–"

"Kiba," I warned, eyebrow twitching.

"What he's saying," Gaara clarified from beside me, "is that being around guys, or being around _us _has made you both stronger and _weaker_."

I considered the idea. He went on in his monotonous drawl, "Whatever self-esteem problems you had before, you're making them really obvious now."

"Don't girls usually talk about their insecurities, and their weight and stuff with _other girls?_" Sasuke scoffed, "But it's like you're the opposite, and they all surfaced while you're surrounded by guys."

"It makes sense though," I said quietly, drawing circles in my pillow, "I _am _straight, and I _am _a teenager. It's only natural that I get self-conscious when I'm surrounded by hot guys..."

I was met with silence, and it took a full five seconds of the clock ticking for me to realize how awkward I just made the topic.

"So you think we're hot," Gaara was the first to initiate, and then cued my pillow hugging and wiggling down into my seat.

"Uhhh... Did I say that? I said cool guys. You know when that happens, when sometimes the opposite of what that person said gets blinded by what you really want to hear?" I sunk deeper in my seat. "Yeah. Well. It just happened."

"_Actually_," The smirks were already plastered on their faces, and Neji was the next to sit up straight in his seat. "You very clearly said 'surrounded by hot guys'."

"Um," I blurted intelligently, cheeks rosy. I tried lamely to change the topic "Hey, Sasuke, can you pass me a c-cold water?"

"Why?" He said, getting up anyway. "Getting a bit warm there, Hayashi?"

"Well, gee, if you're going to be a jerk about it," I mumbled into my pillow, making a very lame attempt at puppy dog eyes. "Forget what I said?"

"Here," He passed me the bottle, and I fumbled to catch it. I cleared my throat once awkward and unscrewed the cap.

"... Stop looking at me like that," I declared, "I'm going to drink water, and it's not at all appropriate to look at a girl like this while she's about to open her mouth and drink something!"

"You really are self-conscious now," Shikamaru chuckled, looking rather amused as well. "The Akira before would have never even thought about something like that."

"Yeah, well, I think we've all made clear that I've sort of changed since I entered the camp," I sighed, and chugged the water down anyway. Luckily, they didn't make any remarks. I wiped my mouth dry with an arm and then glanced over at the clock. "We have 15 to lunch. Let's head down."

"So while being surrounded by hot guys these few weeks," Kiba brought up again, and I shot him a glare that he snickered at. "Have you had any fantasies?"

_"What?" _Oh, I had a bad feeling that I knew exactly what fantasies he was referring to.

"Like... you know," He gave me a wiggle of his brows, "Sexual-?"

"KIBA!" I cut in, cheeks escalating in heat. "Geez, do you think I'm some hormonal s-slut that..." I managed to calm down. "Okay, you know, I'm not going to even answer that. I'm gonna head down first."

With the close of the door behind me, I could still hear the laughter and sniggers from inside.

"I'm going to take that as a yes."

**-X-**

The halls were noisy, since boys were coming back from their showers to put their stuff back, so there was a lot of entering and exiting of rooms as I walked by. Unfortunately, since our room was at the very end of the hall, all of these boys down the hall to my left, which was the way to the main dining hall... weren't boys on my team.

And that, in case you hadn't already figured out, was a very bad thing.

"Hey, look at that Flamin' Striker," they cat called, but I rolled my eyes. Flaming Striker? Was that an insult, or a cute pet name?

"Yeah, really kicked those goals last game, didn't you, number Nine." A guy, who I recognized to be playing offense for our opposite team hit me across the shoulder blades roughly. I winced and recovered quickly, but it was too late. I shouldn't have shown any signs of weakness at all.

"Look at that, weak as a pussy." I ground my back teeth into each other, wishing I stood at six feet ten so I could stomp on them like the immature brats they were. I wondered if the Flames did this to other teams, so that this was very usual in terms of enemy team conversing. "Why don't you go play on a girl's team, little pussy?"

"He probably has a vagina!"

That was it. "Oh, that's funny to you, is it?" I snapped, and they went quiet, not having suspected that I'd talkback, but the stupid, idiotic leering didn't go away.

"Awwww, did I hurt your feelings?" he mocked, and I could just feel the blood boiling in my body, my fists clenching. But I knew better. I couldn't start a fight, and not after I had gone through so much to cool down and collect myself – and especially not against guys who could easily tackle me and pull up my shirt or down my pants...

I scoffed, but turned about on my way to leave the words behind me. "Even if I, and every boy on this earth had a vagina, you're _still _never getting any."

"Ooohhh," they chorused, hissing and patting the guy on his back.

"Hey! _Hey!" _He called, but I knew better and had started running the moment I finished. Luckily, he was all bark and no bite, so he didn't come chasing after me, so I gave a sigh of relief.

"WHA-!" I gasped, a hand reaching out just as a turned the corner to pull me into a dark room. I struggled immediately, knowing this too well, and from the feeling of his body pressed to mine, I knew it was a boy.

"HELP-" He clamped his hand over my mouth, and leaned in so that his voice was right against my ear.

"For f*ck's sake, Hayashi, do you think I'm going to rape you?" I couldn't believe the familiar voice. Surely I was hallucinating. Did he hit me on the head? Did menstrual cycles also give hallucinations?

"K-Kouji Tanaka?" I spat, ripping his hand away and moving my body as far as possible from his – which wasn't at all that far, since we were in a tiny storage closet for cleaning supplies. A bottle of Windex mocked me from the shelf. Crap. This was bad. This was so, so bad. "What on earth do you _want _from me, dude?"

"I just wanted to talk," he said, his voice cutting through the darkness sharply, so he lowered it. "I don't want anyone seeing me talking to a Flame."

"So you chose to drag me into a dark closet like a rapist," I said, because it made total sense. _Not. _"So what happens if someone sees you coming _out _of a dark, secluded closet with a Flame?"

He went speechless. I nearly let out a giant curse.

"I didn't think that far."

"Of course you didn't. Gosh, idiot, not knowing what you're getting into..." I said, but just as the words came out, I realized that they sounded very familiar... "So what do you want to talk about?" He took a breath in. "I swear, Kouji, if this is a waste of my time, I will scream rape at the top of my lungs and-"

"For f*ck's sake-"

"And stop swearing," I reprimanded, giving him a little slap on the cheek. He looked bewildered, but I hadn't slapped him hard enough for it to hurt at all, so it must have just been the shock of being slapped. Slowly, he regained sanity and cleared his throat.

"I, uh...um-"

_"What?"_

He snarled. "Would you just let me speak?"

"The least you could have freaking done was plan out what you were going to _say _before you dragged me into a –" His hand clamped over mine again and I rolled my eyes in the dark. My eyes were beginning to adjust, and I could make out the features on his face instead of just the silhouette. His eyes were on the door, like he could see outside.

"Do you hear something?" came from outside. I froze. Tanaka definitely had good hearing, or maybe just sharp senses in general. No wonder he heard Kiba's outburst the other day...

"Yeah. Sounds like a girl." _Frick. What? _Tanaka looked at me, almost like he was making a point. I snapped my mouth away from him, making his hand let go of me, and he leaned back.

The footsteps died down and we were alone again.

"Look," he began and I scowled at him with all my might. "I wanted to ask you something."

I snorted. "Yeah, well, I'm listening."

He sighed, and I could see his jaw tighten. "Are you always this snappy?"

"Do you want me to explain to you_ again _that this is the stupidest idea I have ever-" His hand came close to my mouth, but I shut myself up. "Kay, I'm all ears. Hit me."

"Do you have a sister?" I rolled my eyes. I _knew _this was stupid.

"No. I'm an only child. Why?"

"... I know another Akira Hayashi," he said, and my look of carelessness wiped away to surprise. "But she's a girl."

"I'm not surprised," I lied casually, "I have a common name, and Akira is unisex, so-"

"You guys look a lot alike," he said. "So I thought you might be twins. She should be the same age as me."

"...Nope. Nuh-uh. No twin, no sister. Is this over, now? I'm hungry and I want to get to lunch-"

"You're lying to me," he accused, grabbing me firmly by the arm. "... Why is your arm so skinny?"

"That's none of your business!" I retreated it right away, and he stared at me strangely.

I was so, epically _screwed._

"Wait, you-"

"Why are you so interested anyway?" I blurted without thinking, but I was curious so I forgave myself for continuing the conversation. "And how do you know her?"

He paused, as if the thought distracted him from what he was going to say. "... She plays for an All Girl's School. I saw her once during her district preliminaries. She was their team Striker, and... She was pretty... um, good."

"...Really?" I asked, not realizing how gentle my voice had gotten, and I made a scene of clearing my throat and said it again in a lower voice, "Really?"

"Yeah," he answered, his voice becoming hushed as well. "But, uh... If you don't know her... that's... w-whatever."

I sighed. "Even if she was my twin, what kind of terrible parents would give us the exact same name that's unisex?"

He just stared at me.

"Let me guess; you didn't think that far, either?" He looked away nervously, and I laughed without thinking. "You're really not that bright, are you?"

"I just thought that... you know, you might know her, because if you met someone with your same name, you'd remember."

"You know where she is anyways, since you said she plays for the All Girls' School Why?" I snickered, feeling kind of teasing because of the absolute insanity of the situation. "Do you have a crush on her, Kouji?"

"No," He reacted too quickly, and I frowned. Okay, well he didn't have to deny it _that _quickly. Ouch to me. Was I that shameful to have a crush on? "She doesn't go there anymore. She transferred."

I dropped my jaw. "How do you know that? It was like 2 weeks ago!"

"I... wanted to see her play this year for prelims, but her team apparently got cut, so I asked a friend to check if she was gonna play for another team... Wait." He glared at me, full force. "You said you didn't know her. How do you know she transferred 2 weeks ago?"

"W-Well..." He leaned in, eyes giving me a few close once-over. Then a twice, and three times-over.

"You want to hear the truth?" He froze where he was, eyes boring into mine. I gulped.

"Haruno Sakura is my cousin." He leaned back right away, like the words had tried to bite him. Or maybe my breath stunk...

"The pink-head that goes crazy for Uchiha?" he blurted right away, and I gave a sigh of relief. "You've got to be kidding me!"

"I'm not. I know, it's embarrassing. But basically, she uh, phones me a lot and updates me on random crap. I don't know this other Akira personally, but I've heard of her." I licked my dry lips. "Sorry that I can't help you, bud. I could ask my cousin for you if you want, but-"

"Naw, even I wouldn't do that to you," he snickered, and for the first time, he seemed like a nice guy. Not because he was nice enough to have me not phone Sakura, but because he was chuckling genuinely at something he found funny, so he was smiling... innocently. But just as soon as I finished the thought, he grimaced and covered his mouth with a hand before glaring at me.

"Yeah, so we're done. Get out."

I blinked, wondering how 'jerk' turned into 'sweet-looking boy' and then back into 'jerk' in the span of less than 5 minutes. "So that's it? You pull me into a closet, see if I know anything, and then throw me back out for the rumors to start?"

He stared at me blankly again, but when he opened his mouth, I was already opening the closet door, light seeping into the dark room.

"You're crazy," I said, laughing. "I'm heading down to lunch. Don't worry, I'll pretend this never happened."

"...Yeah..." He lagged, coming out as well and closing the door behind him, but then he froze. I followed his gaze, and met with the eyes of possibly the worst person to ever see me coming out of a closet with an enemy player.

"I'm not going to even ask," Anko snorted, letting out a huge guffaw. Tanaka was a stature. I slapped a palm and dragged it down the length of my face, wondering why Karma had to be such a bitch. "You stupid teenagers and your hormones. Star-crossed lovers, are ya?"

"No, we're-" I tried to counter, looking at Tanaka for support, but he looked lost. He obviously had no idea how crazy Anko was. "Coach, this is all just a misunderstanding-"

"Naw, I get you," she said with a wink, already hurrying down to the stairway. "Geez, Hayashi: you and your secrets. You better work hard if you don't want me 'accidentally' blackmailing ya."

My jaw was completely unhinged as she went down the stairwell and I swivelled towards Tanaka in a fury. "Thanks for having my back, man!"

"She's _your _coach. If I stepped in, it would _really _look like we had something going on." I blew out a sigh, and nodded. He had a point. If Tanaka had been dashing like some knight in shining armor, and rushed in to defend me, it would have looked a lot more suspicious. It was probably better that he just stood there like the idiot he was.

"I'm heading down," I declared, trudging to the staircase to the lunchroom. I could hear Tanaka followed closely from behind. "Aren't you going to wait behind a little? What happened to not wanting to be seen with me?"

"Yeah," he said, like that answered my question at all. "Whatever."

**-X-**

"Explain to me again _why _it is _ever _'not a big deal' to come down to lunch," Kiba flourished a pointing gesture with a fork, "with _that jerk?"_

_"Calm down! _Geez," I whimpered, slapping his arm down before anyone noticed, but it was too late because Tanaka Kouji was looking over at us and giving us a glare. I smiled nervously at him, though I realized it looked guiltier than anything, and huddled Kiba's head right beside mine. "I thought guys didn't gossip!"

"That's why I'm not gossiping. It's only gossiping if you talk about things that are none of your business, behind people's backs, and stuff. It _is _my business, and it's not behind his back if I point at him like this and make it known that I'm_ talking about him_!" He thrust his fork out again, and I smacked it down. Tanaka was doing a little purse of his lips at his table, but it really just look like a borderline pout. I made a 'whoops' gesture and shrugged, laughing nervously.

"She's right, Inuzuka. Calm down," Neji drilled, and then turned his gaze to me, "but why _did _you walk with Tanaka down here? And why are you trying so hard to make sure he doesn't come over here?"

"Okay, what I'm going to tell you is confidential and must never leave this circle of friends, or so much as be uttered and hinted at in the presence of others, got it?" With doubtful brows and suspicious nods, I blew out a sigh and told them what happened – or a vague, summarized version.

"THAT JERK-" I slapped a hand over Kiba's mouth and had the decency to not look at Tanaka with an apologizing glance.

"Kiba, I swear, you are the _worst _at keeping things quiet!" I unclamped my hand on him and pinched his cheeks hard for revenge, and he yelped out in pain. The guys let out some smirks and snickers before I finally let go.

"But he pulled you into a _clo-set!" _Kiba said in a harsh whisper, pronouncing closet separately so that it sounded like – claw zit.

"We know. She just told us, moron," Neji said bluntly, and Kiba cast him a glare. Sasuke folded his arms and couldn't help but sneak a glance at the bleached blonde being mentioned.

"So he's seen you play before as a girl," Sasuke muttered to himself. "We've actually gone to a few of your prelim games, too."

"Well, gee, sorry I wasn't pretty enough to be remembered," I snorted, and he simpered.

"You can imagine why we'd try to stay away from the team that Sakura and Ino manage," he stated as a matter of fact. I pondered it and nodded, giving an upside-down smile and shrugging. Their eyes were always scouting the bleachers and viewing areas for any guys from Konoha's All Boys' School to interrogate about Sasuke's schedule and whatnot.

"Makes sense. But yeah, that's why I want Tanaka noticing us and looking over here as _little as possible," _I struck Kiba with a glower, "so it really doesn't help but you point your angry forks at him."

"My bad, babe. OWW!" He brought up his shin on reflex and massaged the spot where I had kicked him under the table.

"No more pet names, _Princess," _I taunted immaturely, making him pout like a little kid. He was too cute, so I gave a laugh.

"I'm done, so I'll head back up. Gotta mentally prep for our next game," They all stared me with wide eyes. Except for a particular redhead, who had always been an exception and reacted with next-to-zero emotion at everything. "What?"

"You ate _two _plates," Kiba started.

"You ate _six plates _yesterday," Sasuke finished.

"Are you sick?" Neji went on, putting a hand out to feel my forehead, and I leaned forward cheekily for him to check, seeing him suddenly blush and retract his hand. I noticed Shikamaru place his fork down on his plate to lean back in his seat. He looked irritated, and I swallowed the saliva accumulating in my mouth.

"I'll be heading up," I announced without answering their question. The farther away I was from that kind of tension, the better – and I wasn't talking about the mystery of my appetite.

**-X-**

Our opponents after lunch were the Kyoto Kings, which only meant that the upcoming game was going to feature some _very _intense competition between old rivals. The boys rolled up their short sleeves like farmers, and pulled their shoelaces tight. Again, I could feel the pressure coming on. I had never played against these guys before, so I didn't have my own grudge going on: but I wanted to play well. I wanted to play well for my teammates, because it was the least I could do for their sake.

I couldn't mess up anymore.

But as soon as the thought finished, the first game started, and I was a mess. My thoughts scrambled again, and I could just feel my nerves toppling over like dominos: not very far from how they were from the very first game in the morning. My feet felt heavy underneath me, my hair sticking against my neck irritated me like never before, and I was aware of how harsh my breathing was, how slow I ran in comparison to everyone.

I missed Kiba's pass, again. Again.

And then I missed nearly every other pass, again, again...

Sasuke had basically taken hold of the Striker position. He had score two goals already, though they hadn't the accuracy that I had. I used to have. I would ever have again.

"Hayashi," Hikari shouted over when we were given a break, and I could see the disappointment in his face. "Step it up, would you?"

"Yeah, man," Ryuusuke spat, "Heat Scorer, what's going on?"

"Get off his back," Shou came to my defense, but his eyes were searching too. "It's just a game. People are allowed to have bad days."

My eyes stung, but was I crying? I couldn't tell. Every time I played, it was like I got worse, and I couldn't stop it. It was so frustrating that I couldn't stop this stupid progression into absolute _failure. _

"Akira," Gaara came up from behind me, his gaze hard. He was going to yell at me, too. He was going to tell me to get over myself and get back to normal, and I'd have to give him some stupid lie about how I would, or tell him the sad truth that I just _couldn't._

"Why do you play soccer?" I blinked, the question coming unexpected. Kakashi had asked me the same thing just this morning. Had he overheard? He was asking me in front of my entire team, and even Kakashi was listening intently.

He was humiliating me.

"Why do you-"

"Answer the question," he demanded coldly, and I gulped. "Why did you transfer to our school, Akira? Why did you go through all this trouble for, and apply for Anbu, just so you could do?"

"Just shut up, Gaara, okay?" I yelled, and everyone was really looking at me. "What do you want me to say?"

Why couldn't he just tell me the answer? Why'd he have to ask such a freakin broad question, and embarrass me in front of everyone like this! I hated him! He was such a freaking tease, and a jerk, and I regretted ever thinking he was hot or sexy, or considerate, because he was just a big pile of sh-

"Obviously soccer doesn't mean as much to you as I thought." My jaw unhinged, and he only glared harder.

"Take that back."

"You can't answer a simple question of _why _you play soccer," He let out a smirk, like I was such a joke. My anger boiled further. "And you dare to argue that it means anything to you?"

"I can't-"

"You need to get your priorities straight before you play on the Konoha Flames," he spat, and I dropped my jaw, and it looked like the rest of the team was just as alarmed as I was.

"Says who, Mr. Newly-Appointed-Team captain?" I retorted, sending him a glare, but Gaara was no match.

"Says the person," he leaned closer until his face was only inches from me, "who's been saving your ass every game since you've been on the team."

He might as well have slapped me on the face; but it was what it took to get me to realize. Gaara was the team stopper, meaning he protected the team's Striker; me. He defended me while the other team tried to intercept my passes and shoots, because it was his job and role. I always over-looked him, because he was always behind me somewhere. My focus was always on the goal, but his priority was me; and protecting me from being distracted so I could shoot properly.

How pissed off he must have been, defending me with all his effort and heart, only to have me make careless mistakes and put his hard-work to waste.

"...I-" I sputtered, really feeling the waterworks coming out. "I'm so sorry, Gaara..."

"So," his voice softened, and his hard eyes looked nearly pleading me for the correct answer. "Ask yourself why, and say the first thing that comes to you."

His question came through to me, like an arrow piercing through the haze of my mind.

Why did I play soccer?

"Because I love it," I blurted without thinking, and his eyes narrowed. His lips turned upwards in a lopsided grin, and I might have melted if not for the fact that my heart was revving. I said it again to be sure, loving the way it sounded, relishing in the way it felt. "I play because I love soccer."

"Then maybe you should act like it, Akira," he spoke lowly, right against my ear, and I made note of how much I loved his voice when he whispered.

"Break's over!" Kakashi announced, and for the first time, he didn't sound bored. He looked at me straight in the eyes sending me a message that I received fully, and then looked at the redhead in front of me. "Second quarter starts in a minute."

"How are your priorities?" Gaara asked in his usual drawl, and I might have even been fooled into thinking that the past conversation didn't just happen, if not for the fact that my answer to his question was no longer frustratingly hidden to me.

"Straight." I reached out to give his hand a tight squeeze to show that I appreciated it. His hand went limp in mine, and he stopped in his tracks. "Thanks Gaara."

** End of Chapter Fourteen **

**-X End Notes:**

I'm so sorry for the disappointment. I promise to do better next chapter.

I've been getting in trouble a lot with my parents for hermitting and killing my eyes with my 10-hour-long computer staring – actually. My eyes have gotten so much worse and they are sore AS I AM TYPING THIS. I'm going to need glasses, soon, ughh. – THIS IS WHAT I DO FOR YOU GUYS. MY ENTIRE FAMILY HAS 20/20 VISION BUT I'M GOING O BE THE FIRST TO HAVE GLASSES BECAUSE I HAVE TO WRITE 50 PAGES OF CRAP BEFORE I ACTUALLY CONJURE UP A DECENT 20 PAGES TO CALL A CHAPTER.

Alright, end rage, haha.  
I had a really hard time writing this, so if you enjoyed it, I'd really appreciate the effort it takes you to tell me so!  
Enjoy your summer, and get ready for Gaara action!


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